“Broken bones” or “bone fractures” are catch-all phrases that describe a wide range of fracture types. Broken bone injuries are not only painful, but they can also be complicated and potentially life-threatening. Understanding the severity of bone fractures can help you determine your treatment and recovery options. Here’s what you need to know and what to do if you’ve suffered a broken bone for which someone else is to blame.
Describing Fracture Types
Before you can understand the different bone fracture types, it helps to learn the terminology that medical professionals use when describing different types of bone breaks. These terms help physicians describe the nature of the break:
- Closed – Closed bone fractures occur when a bone breaks, but the break doesn’t cause tears in the surrounding skin and tissue.
- Open – Open bone fractures are much more dangerous. They occur when a bone breaks and part of that bone punctures and protrudes through the skin. These breaks are also called compound fractures. They are especially hazardous because they expose the bone and surrounding tissue to dirt, bacteria, and foreign material.
- Complete – A complete bone break describes a bone that is broken into two pieces.
- Partial – Partial bone fractures crack the bone but do not separate it into more than one piece.
- Stable – Stable bone fracture describes a break where the ends of the break remain in alignment.
- Displaced – A displaced bone break occurs when there is a gap between the broken ends of the bones or the broken ends are misaligned. Treating these brakes typically requires reduction, which realigns the bone.
- Stress – Stress fractures are tiny breaks in the bone that look like cracks. Repetitive motions generally cause stress fractures and can be treated with rest, elevation, and compression, along with over-the-counter pain relievers.
Severity and Treatment of Bone Fractures
Categorizing the severity of a bone fracture can be a challenge. The severity of the break may depend on its type and location. Femur and skull fractures tend to be more severe than finger fractures. A simple bone fracture in a child may be minor, while a similar fracture in an elderly adult can be pretty severe. However, specific bone fracture categories pose more significant medical complications than others.
Open bone breaks can be challenging to treat because they puncture through the skin and expose the bone and surrounding tissues to the environment. These breaks require immediate medical care to stabilize the bone and prevent further tissue damage and infection. Medical professionals thoroughly rinse and wash the wound with a sterile solution before removing any remaining debris and setting the bone.
Displaced fractures may also require extensive medical intervention depending on the area of the fracture. Displaced fractures where the ends of the bone do not align require a closed or open reduction. In a closed reduction, a doctor can manually move the bones back into place. An open reduction requires surgery to realign the bone. An open reduction may also require pins, screws, or wires to fix the bone pieces in place.
Comminuted fractures are among the most severe types of breaks. These occur when a bone fractures into at least three or more pieces, and bone fragments are present at the fracture site. Shattered bones always require immediate surgical intervention to repair the bone and possibly tissue torn or damaged by the bone fragments.
Overall, rest, immobilization, medication, and surgery are the most common treatment options for broken bones.
Contact a North Dakota Injury Lawyer for Help After a Broken Bone Injury
If you are injured in an accident caused by someone else and suspect you have a broken bone, seek medical help immediately. Next, contact a North Dakota injury lawyer for help assessing your legal options to recover the compensation you need.
Discuss your situation with our legal team by contacting Pringle & Herigstad, P.C., and arranging a case evaluation.
