A bone fracture - a bone injury, which undermines its ability to support the body. Broken bones can happen in a variety of situations such as car accidents, fights, falls from height or fall in the private bathroom. In addition, it causes fracture may be bone diseases such as osteoporosis, rickets
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and so on.
Physiology of bone fracture
Structurally, the bone is very strong, but being exposed to forces exceeding the limits of her strength, she reacts in two ways. When forces act instantaneously, e.g., by being dropped or hit, this causes the bones to fracture. But if impact occurs slowly over a certain time, it changes the shape of the bones, so that operation force is balanced (although in terms of medicine such changes are often pathology). Thus, the bone mass has a dynamic nature and can adapt to the pressure on it. This capability is provided by a constant erosion of bone bone, called osteoclasts, and permanent formation of new bone through osteoblasts.
A delicate balance between the cells responsible for the consolidation and the thinning of the bones, depends largely on the level of physical activity. Consequently, a person engaged in physical labor, stronger bones than the one who is engaged in sedentary work in the office.
Types of fractures
- A bone fracture with displacement. With such a fracture on x-ray can be seen a considerable distance between the fragments of a broken bone. A considerable distance, however, there is a relative concept. For example, a distance of 3-4 mm at fracture of the humerus may be insignificant, but the same distance at the turn of the phalanges may be a sign of the displaced fracture.
- Undisplaced fracture - bone fragments in the event of such a fracture remain in place and surgical treatment, as a rule, is not necessary.
- Comminuted fracture - fracture in which the bone breaks into three or more parts.
- About pathological fractures say if the change occurred due to weakening of the bones as a result of diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis
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and so on. For these fractures do not require strong external impact; sometimes they take place at all without any external influence.
- Open fractures - it fractures in which the bone pierces the skin and forms an open wound. Fractures of this type are associated with an increased risk of infection and other complications.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of bone fracture include:
- Pain - occurs as a result of pain signals in response to the pressure of the bone fracture;
- Swelling - is the result of damage to blood vessels and the action of immune cells;
- Inability to walk;
- Breathing problems - for example, with broken ribs when every inhalation and exhalation can be accompanied by severe pain.
Treatment
In most cases for the treatment of bone fracture requires immobilization of damaged body parts. For this purpose, plaster, special fixing corsets and other orthopedic appliances. Usually, the immobilization should last four to six weeks, but in some cases treatment is delayed for several months.
In more complex cases, surgical treatment is used. For example, comminuted fractures can be treated only by surgery. Since untreated fractures often grow together properly, operation should be held in the week after the fracture occurred.
Signs of fracture
Signs of fracture are divided into absolute and relative (not entirely accurate). Absolute symptoms of fracture:
- visible deformation (natural position) limb;
- the mobility of the limbs where there is no joint;
- feeling the crunch (crepitations) on hand at the fracture site;
- with an open fracture in the wound, you can see the bone fragments.
The relative signs of fracture:
- pain that is amplified when tapped bone along its axis;
- swelling of the soft tissues;
- signs of hematoma (bruising), which after some time appears in the fracture;
- disruption to end.
The diagnosis of a fracture is confirmed by radiological methods of investigation.
Fracture healing
The healing of fractures depends on general factors such as age, physical and psychological state, the function of the endocrine system, metabolism
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and so on. Children fusion occurs faster than in adults. Delayed fracture healing observed with a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, diabetes, radiation sickness, during pregnancy and lactation
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, Anemia and other diseases.
But more on the process of fracture healing influenced by local factors (location of the fracture, his character, the presence or absence of displacement, fragments, and so on). Significantly faster fuse impacted fractures, that is, the more accurately compared and less mobile fragments, the more likely they are fused.
In the area of change in the first two days is a violation of blood circulation due to damage to the blood vessels. But with the right combination of fragments, it is replaced by increased blood flow - begins the process of restoring bone - callus formation.
When comparing the exact bone fragments can be directly fusion using corn that grows inside the bone, it is called primary bone seam. But in most cases because of the difficulty of providing all necessary conditions for the primary seam, it is the secondary (first growing cartilage, then it is replaced by bone, the process is delayed).
Moderate pressure acting perpendicular to the fracture plane accelerates the formation of callus. Poor, not excluding the movement of bone fragments, short-term or frequently interrupted immobilization (immobilization) is an uncommon cause of delays fusion and resorption of fledgling corn.
Galina Romanenko
