What is a Comminuted Fracture?

If you’ve ever suffered from a bone fracture, you know how painful they can be. A comminuted fracture, in particular, is especially painful because of what it involves. A comminuted fracture happens when the bone involved is actually broken into several pieces. In order for it to be classified as a comminuted fracture, there must be at least three separate pieces of bone involved. This type of fracture is usually challenging to treat because the break is so complex. Adding to the complication is if the fracture is actually open because open fractures have a very high infection rate and takes longer to heal.

Comminuted Fractures typically occur with the elderly, or people with conditions which weaken the bone, such as osteoporosis or cancer. Elderly people are predisposed to fractures of any kind, thanks to the process of aging, which causes structural changes in the skeletal system. Another way for this type of fracture to occur is with tremendous force, such as a car accident or sudden fall. These events can be extremely painful. This is because the muscles that surround the affected area go into a spasm when trying to hold the bone fractures in place, which causes further pain.

Our body has a natural mechanism in place to heal a bone fracture. The main goal of treatment is to restore the bone to its original state and let your body get to work. Typically, the treatment for a comminuted fracture includes surgery in order to fix the bone. It is critical to put the bone fragments back together and hold them in place with suitable material. This includes surgical nails, screws, plates, and wires. In rare cases, the entire area needs to be opened during surgery to see the bones more closely. After the surgery, the injured body part will be immobilized with a plaster or fiberglass splint. This type of fracture typically takes a long time to completely heal. Recovery time can be several months longer than a typical fracture. After the surgery, most patients will need to undergo physical therapy. This is because you need to restore the lost function of the bone and to strengthen the surrounding muscles. You need to strengthen the bone itself and the surrounding area, so you don’t re-injure the area.

No matter what, you’re going to need some type of walking crutches to help you recover. Not only are crutches difficult to get used to, walking with crutches can be painful. If you use forearm crutches, make sure you get crutch pads that are comfortable. Walking long distances while using crutches isn’t recommend, but it’s unavoidable from time to time.

The most important aspect of recovering from a comminuted fracture is to use your crutches. You can do more severe, permanent damage to yourself if you don’t. You must also follow up with your doctor on a regular basis to make sure that everything is healing correctly. You’ll usually be given an antibiotic to help fight infection.

Bone Fractures

From time to time, accidents happen. No one wants a broken bone, but it’s inevitable to happen at some point to you or someone you may know. Bone fractures occur when excessive force is applied to a bone, which causes a fracture. The most typical causes are a car accident, severe twists, and different types of falls. Children are rather lucky in the sense that their bones are more flexible, thus being less likely to break. The same type of accident that didn’t injure a child can severely fracture adults. Elderly folks suffer fractures more than anyone because their bones and body are changing and becoming more brittle.

After breaking a bone, the first step (after going to the ER) is to take an X-ray of the bone to confirm that it is indeed a fracture. This will also provide a clear picture, so you know what type of fracture it is, and how to go about fixing it. The idea is to line the bones back up and set them in the place so that your body can run its natural course and begin to repair the fracture. Your bone may be set in place by screws or a cast. If it’s a broken leg or fibula you’re diagnosed with, be prepared to learn how to use crutches. Once you get used to them, walking crutches aren’t so bad, other than a little discomfort here and there. You can make this better by replacing the crutch pads with a better type of crutch cover.

There are several types of fractures, and one of the more severe cases is the comminuted fracture. This occurs when your bone splinters or contains small bone pieces. A greenstick fracture occurs when the bone is bent. This type occurs most often in children. Then there’s the transverse fracture, which is a fracture at a right angle to the bone’s axis. The oblique fracture is diagnosed when the break has a curved or sloped pattern. An impacted fracture is one whose ends are driven into each other. This is commonly seen in arm fractures in children and is sometimes known as a buckle fracture. Other types of fracture are a pathologic fracture, caused by a disease that weakens the bones, and stress fracture, a hairline crack. This is also painful! Other types of fracture are pathologic fractures, which is caused by a disease that weakens the bones, and a stress fracture.

At the end of the day, no one wants to break a bone. But like I mentioned earlier, they are sometimes unavoidable. You’d be surprised at what will cause a bone fracture. Your best weapon when suffering a bone fracture is knowledge. Do your research, and learn how to use your crutches. Walking with crutches can be pretty annoying, but if you stick with it, you will be jetting around in no time. Don’t forget; you’ll want to get some comfortable pads for crutches. Don’t miss your doctor appointments, because they need to check to make sure the bone is healing properly, and to check for infection.