A bone fracture is a break in a bone. The soft tissue surrounding the break may also be injured. Most bone fractures are the result of injuries from falls or vehicle crashes, but fractures can also be caused by certain diseases. The May 5, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about external fixation (see below) to treat bone fractures.
Injuries from falls, sports, or vehicle crashes
Osteoporosis—weakening of the bones associated with aging
Tumors that grow on or near bones
Prolonged walking or running—sometimes called stress fractures
Simple—the bone is broken in one place.
Comminuted—the bone is broken in several places with at least 3 bone fragments.
Open—the skin is injured exposing the broken bone (also called "compound").
Closed—the skin is intact over the broken bone.
Undisplaced—the broken bone pieces are aligned.
Displaced—the broken bone pieces are not aligned.
If you think you have broken a bone, seek emergency medical care immediately.
A medical examination and x-rays can help determine if and where a bone is broken.
The broken pieces may need to be put back in place and then immobilized until the bones can heal as new bone forms around the break.
The type of treatment will depend on the kind of fracture and the specific bones involved.
Fractured bones usually need at least 4 weeks to heal although casts may be removed before that to prevent stiffness (particularly for fractures involving the elbow or hand).
Physical therapy may be required after the bone has healed.
Casting—After the broken bones have been manipulated back into their proper positions, a plaster or fiberglass cast is applied to keep the bones from moving while they heal.
External fixation—Pins or wires are set into the bone through the skin above and below the fracture. These are connected to a ring or a bar outside the skin that holds the pins in place. After the bones have healed, the pins are removed.
Internal fixation—In a surgical procedure, metal rods, wires, or screws are inserted in the bone fragments to keep them together.
Grahic Jump Location
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 800/346-AAOS (2267)http://www.orthoinfo.aaos.org
National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center 800/624-BONE (2663)http://www.osteo.org
To find this and other JAMA Patient Pages, go to the Patient Page link on JAMA's Web site at http://www.jama.com. A Patient Page on hip fractures was published in the June 6, 2001, issue; and one on preventing hip fractures was published in the October 13, 1999, issue.
Sources: National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Orthopaedic Medicine
The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of JAMA. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA suggests that you consult your physician. This page may be photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. Any other print or online reproduction is subject to AMA approval. To purchase bulk reprints, call 718/946-7424.
TOPIC: BONE FRACTURES
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
Instructions
Comments are moderated and will appear on the site at the discretion of the Journal of American Medical Association editors. Comments should not exceed 500 words of text and 10 references.
Do not submit personal medical questions or information that could identify a specific patient, questions about a particular case, or general inquiries to an author. Only content that has not been published, posted, or submitted elsewhere should be submitted. By submitting this Comment, you and any coauthors transfer copyright to the journal if your Comment is posted.
* = Required Field
Disclosure of Any Conflicts of Interest* Indicate all relevant conflicts of interest of each author below, including all relevant financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including, but not limited to, employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speakers’ bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. If all authors have none, check "No potential conflicts or relevant financial interests" in the box below. Please also indicate any funding received in support of this work. The information will be posted with your response.
Register and get free email Table of Contents alerts, saved searches, PowerPoint downloads, CME quizzes, and more
Subscribe for full-text access to content from 1998 forward and a host of useful features
Activate your current subscription (AMA members and current subscribers)
Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.
Download citation file:
Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.
and access these and other features:
Register Now
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
Athens and Shibboleth are access management services that provide single sign-on to protected resources. They replace the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session. It operates independently of a user's location or IP address. If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.