Bhanu Garg in Health

Are all Broken Fractures Treated with Surgery?

If you’ve ever broken a bone, you know how unpleasant the experience can be. You can even hear the bone-cracking in certain cases, which is both shocking and frightening. Then comes the intense pain and incapacity to move the wounded, bodily portion. Treatment for broken bones necessitates realignment and immobilization. This can be done in a variety of ways. The most successful treatment is determined by the type and severity of the fracture and the case’s complexity.

What exactly is a bone fracture?

When you break a bone, it is referred to as a bone fracture by doctors. The shape of the bone is altered as a result of this fracture. These fractures can occur straight across the length of a bone or along the length of the bone. A fracture can either break a bone in half or leave it in several pieces.

What are the common types of bone fractures?

Its appearance by healthcare experts normally defines a bone fracture. Amongst some of the categories are:

Closed or open fractures: A closed fracture occurs when an injury does not break open the skin. If the skin does open, this is referred to as an open fracture or compound fracture.
Complete fractures: The break goes all the way through the bone, separating it.
Displaced fractures: When a bone is broken, a gap is created. This type of damage frequently needs surgery to repair.
Partial fractures: This type of fracture occurs when the break does not extend through the bone.
Stress fractures: The bone cracks, which might be difficult to detect with imaging.

What causes bone fracture?

Bone fractures can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

Traumatic injuries – Sports injuries, car accidents, and falls are all traumatic Injuries.

Conditions such as osteoporosis and some forms of cancer lead bones to fracture more easily, which means that even little damage and falls can be fatal.

Do all bone fractures require surgical intervention?

Fracture treatment aims to allow the bone to heal and fuse. Often, this may be performed by immobilizing the bone with a cast and splint for several months. While more serious fractures can’t be treated with non-surgical techniques and cause severe symptoms to require surgical treatment.

For example, an open or comminuted fracture Will need surgery to guarantee that the bone fully heals and can safely bear your weight. In surgical repair, metal rods, screws, or plates are used to hold the bone in place or align it while it heals.

What is the Treatment for Fractures?

Fracture treatment aims to restore normal bone and tissue alignment so that the fracture heals in the proper place. This sometimes requires adjusting or “setting” the fracture. This normally necessitates some form of sedation and/or anesthesia and can be performed in the orthopedic surgery clinic.

Non-surgical fracture treatment options include –

- Cast: Casts are a tried-and-true fracture treatment procedure that can be made of plaster or fiberglass. The cast’s objective is to keep the fracture in position and immobilize the bone so that it may heal in the proper position. Hand, wrist, forearm, lower leg, ankle, and foot fractures are all commonly treated in a cast.
- Functional braces: These are often formed of molded plastic and act as a cast for particular reasonably stable or healing fractures. These are removable for hygienic reasons.
- External fixation: This comprises threaded pins inserted into the bone above and below a fracture and held together by an external frame. Ex-fix is frequently used to stabilize open fractures or soft tissue injury until final fracture healing.

Surgical Treatment for bone fracture –

Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF): In This surgical procedure, a surgeon makes an incision to realign the bone to repair the damaged bone in order to fix it directly using plates and screws. This is frequently utilized in fractures of the forearm and upper arm (humerus) and tibia and ankle fractures. The shattered bone is screwed back together, allowing for direct bone-to-bone healing.

- Intramedullary Nailing (or Rodding): A nail is inserted into the bone’s marrow cavity and is generally secured with screws above and below the fracture. This is an “indirect” fracture treatment in which the fracture site is not often opened surgically. The nail functions as an internal splint, allowing the fracture to align and heal. This procedure is frequently used to repair long bone fractures of the femur and tibia.

How long does it take to heal a fracture?

The length of time it takes to heal a fractured bone varies from person to person and is determined by the severity of the damage. A broken leg, for example, will take longer to heal than a broken arm or wrist. In addition, as you become older, your healing time slows down. According to healthcare specialists, recovering from a fractured bone takes 6 to 8 weeks on average.

What are the lifelong complications that may occur due to a fracture?

A fractured bone, like many other types of injuries, can cause complications. These are some examples:

Blood clots: A blood vessel blockage that can break loose and spread across the body.
Cast-wearing complications: A patient may have Complications from wearing a cast might include pressure ulcers (sores) and joint stiffness.
Compartment syndrome:

Due to which bleeding or edema may occur in the muscles around the fracture.
Hemarthrosis: Bleeding into the joint may cause swelling.

Conclusion – When a bone breaks, a doctor’s first thing is to reset it to its original position. They can do this by a variety of treatments, which may or may not include surgery. The severity of a person’s bone damage and their compliance to doctor’s recommendations will impact how effectively and fast the fracture heals. Many patients will have restricted flexibility or movement for some time after surgery or having a brace or cast removed.

Many patients lose muscle in the injured limb during recovery, but they may typically restore muscular strength and flexibility with the right workouts. You can consult an orthopedic surgeon for bone fracture for different treatment options and after-treatment precautions. An orthopedic Specialists At MIOT international Chennai Hospital can repair fractured bones using both orthopedic surgery and non-surgical methods.

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