Falling from a chair, twisting your ankles or wrists, getting injured during a game, having an accident, or colliding with furniture are some of the most common reasons for a broken bone. These incidents can lead to varying kinds of fractures. Sometimes it just a slight crack. On other occasions, the bone is dislocated and broken completely. Depending on the type of fracture, doctors suggest repairing therapy. Fractures heal faster if the body is healthy and young. They might take longer to heal under certain circumstances like aging, winter season, weak body, and in cases of severe multiple fractures.
Symptoms of a broken bone
Many times a broken bone goes undetected. There might be a slight pain that is dismissed as a bruise. We assume that this pain will go away in a day or two. This ignorant behavior might lead to worse situations. The symptoms that are indicative of a broken bone are:
- Severe pain
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Bruising
- Mild pain that got worse over time
- Deformity in the injured body part
- Inability to perform basic activities like lifting, holding, walking, stretching, etc.
Causes of a broken bone
Usually, it takes a strong jerk, unexpected movement, heavy weight lifting, or sudden action to break a bone. briefly, the causes can be explained as:
- Losing balance
While standing on a stool or chair, we might lose our balance and fall. This can result in a fractured leg.
- Road accidents
Getting hit by a vehicle while you are on the road, can lead to internal injuries and fractured bones.
- Slipping
It is common to slip while walking on a slippery floor. Sometimes, we unknowingly step on a slippery banana peel, polythene or litter and might fall down on our hip. This can also lead to a broken bone.
- Getting injured
If you are indulging in any kind of sport, you are prone to injuries. Slipping in the court, colliding with fellow players, getting hit by the opponent in an aggressive sport, are all obvious reasons for a broken bone for a sportsperson.
- Fights or abuse
If you get into fights or are abused/bullied, then you can end up having a broken bone because of the physical torture.
- Wear and tear
If you indulge in strenuous exercise more often and don’t pay attention to cooling down, then you might have a broken bone due to over-exhaustion or due to excessive weight forced on the bone. this reason is a move applicable for a fractured leg.
Complications related to a broken bone
There might be some complications in the healing process. The reasons for these can be multiple depending upon your body and strength. Some of the complications are:
- Pain in the related parts
If you damage your leg, then you can experience knee pain or ankle pain. Similarly, according to the part you fracture, you can face paint in the related parts.
- Delayed or slow healing
The healing process can be slow or delayed completely depending upon the severity of the fracture. If the blood flow is reduced to the fractured bone, it can lead to very slow healing.
- Infection
Bone infection is another common reason for complicated healing. Osteomyelitis is a fungal and bacterial infection in the bone which can affect its healing process.
- Damaged blood vessel
When you fracture your leg, you might also harm its accompanying blood vessels. This leads to poor blood supply which can lead to numbness. You might need medical assistance in cases like these.
- Compartment syndrome
This is a neuromuscular condition that causes pain, swelling, and disability in muscles located around the bone. it is common in patients with multiple injuries.
- Inflammation of joints
Arthritis is the inflammation of joints. It can be the effect of an injured bone. it might develop into bone deformities i.e. osteoarthritis later in life.
- Improper alignment
Sometimes, the bone gets cut or deformed during a fracture. This can lead to alignment problems. It is most significantly observed when you have a broken leg. Having one leg shorter than the other can lead to difficulty in walking and needs to be examined by a doctor.
Prevention of a broken bone
Avoiding a situation like this altogether might be a good idea. Following some preventive measures can keep you away from breaking a bone. some of the basic preventive measures can be:
- Eating healthy: taking a balanced diet can make your bones stronger and less prone to accidents. It also keeps the body strong and active. A healthy body supports a faster healing and curing process in case of any injury.
- Knowing your limits: not to overexert your bones and muscles can help to keep them fit and disaster-free. Try to indulge in limited physical activity that your body can withstand.
- Road safety: many accidents can be prevented by being careful and by following safety measures. Crossing roads carefully, walking on footpaths, using subways for crossing can be some basic steps to avoid road accidents and injuries.
- Wearing protective gear: being more careful while playing can also be a smart move. Wearing your protection gear like knee and elbow pads, helmet, gloves, thigh pads, etc. can prevent the breaking of bones even if you fall.
- Cross-training: building your strength by training in different domains like cycling, swimming, running, skating, etc. alternatively, is a good way to keep your bones strong.
Treatment for a broken bone
After diagnosing the broken bone with help of an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan, the doctors proceed with a treatment process. Bone healing is a natural process. The body forms a new bone and dissolves the older, or it repairs the cracks in it with help of bone cells (osteoblasts and osteoclasts), blood, and nutrients. Medical assistance is required in keeping the bone in an accurate position to speed up the healing process and to make it easier.
- Immobilization, keeping the bone still is done for 2-8 weeks depending upon the recovery rate. they can be done by the following methods:
- Plaster:
casts and braces are used to hold the bone in place. This helps to repair the bone correctly and quickly.
- Metal plates and screws:
are used to produce currents that speed up healing with minimum invasion.
- Intra-medullary nails:
they are metal rods that are put inside the body and are placed at eh center of long bones. Leg treatment is done by using these nails or flexible wires in the case of children.
- External fixators:
are used to hold the bone in position by fixing it in place with help of steel pins to the skin.
- Physical therapy is used in patients with healed bones. It is done to bring the bone back to its flexibility and to reinstall its mobility.
- Surgery
The last resort followed by doctors is surgery. They conduct plastic surgery to repair the soft tissues and skin around the bone or joint that was broken.
Having a break can be challenging and testing. It is a painful and long process that requires patience. It takes a lot of effort to make the bone functional like before after it has healed. Repairing might not be able to restore the bone exactly back to its initial position or flexibility. Thus it is better to prevent getting a broken bone. For better results, you can search leg x-ray near me on google and get an X-ray done at the best prices.
