Broken Bones – Symptoms, Treatment, and Complications

Nearly any type of accident can cause a victim to suffer broken or fractured bones. Car accidents, construction accidents, slip and fall accidents, defective products, and nursing home abuse are just a few of the types of personal injury accidents and incidents that cause broken bones. There are 206 bones in the human body and any one of them can break. Often, victims suffer multiple fractures.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a break can happen across the width of the bone or across the length. The break can cause the bone to split into separate parts or stay together in several pieces.

Bone fractures are categorized as follows:

• Closed or open fractures. A closed fracture means that the bone doesn’t break through the skin. If the bone does break through the skin, the fracture is an open fracture.
• Complete fractures.This type of break separates the bone into at least two distinct parts.
• Displaced fractures. Here, a “gap forms where the bone breaks.” This type of break usually requires surgery to fix it.
• Partial fractures. Compared to complete fractures, these breaks do not go all the way through the bone.
• Stress fractures. Here, the bone has a crack that can be hard to find even with diagnostic imaging.

Other common terms used when an accident causes a broken bone include:

• Ligaments connect bones to other bones. Tendons secure muscles to bones. If you have an avulsion, the ligament or tendon pulls part of the bone off.
• You don’t want to hear you have a comminuted fracture diagnosis. The diagnosis means that your bone has shattered into separate pieces.
• Compression fracture. This means the bone is crushed or flattened.
• Impacted fracture. The bones are driven or pushed together.
• Oblique fracture. The break is a diagonal break across the bone.
• Spiral fracture. The break spirals around the bone.
• Transverse fracture. The break is straight across the bone.

What are the signs you have a broken bone?

Your symptoms depend on the type of break. Some breaks, such a broken bone in a finger, arm, or hand, you’ll know right away. General symptoms include severe pain, difficulty using a part of the body, an unusual bend or twist, and swelling.

Diagnostic tests for broken bones include:

• X-rays. Your ER doctor, orthopedist, or family doctor will normally order this test first. An X-ray is a two-dimensional picture of the break.
• Bone scan. A bone scan is used to reveal suspected breaks that do not appear on an X-ray. This test normally requires two visits four hours apart.
• CT scan. This test uses computer technology and X-rays to “create detailed slices or cross-sections of the bone.”
• This test uses magnetic fields to create detailed images. The test is regularly used to diagnose a stress fracture.

Common treatments for bone breaks

Many broken bones are treated by using a cast or a splint. A cast “wraps the break with hard protection.” A splint protects one side of the break. Both treatments keep the bone from moving. The bone then grows back together and heals.

Casts are used for larger bones. For fingers and toes, your doctor may wrap the injury and then use a splint. Casts are normally made out of plaster or fiberglass.

In serious cases, a break may require traction. Traction involves using weights and pulleys to stretch the tendons and muscles around the bone so the bone can align correctly. In other cases, surgery may be needed. Surgery for broken bones due to an accident uses stainless-steel screws, frames, plates and fixators to keep the bones stable.

According to Verywell Health, your doctor may need to perform a “fracture reduction.” This procedure helps to better align the broken bones. Open reductions require surgery. Closed reductions normally don’t require surgery. A closed reduction may require a local anesthetic or general anesthesia “followed by a specific maneuver to attempt to realign the broken bone.” Once the closed reduction is complete, a cast or splint is used to keep the bones in place so the bones will align properly while they heal.

Intramedullary (IM) rodding is another surgical procedure to stabilize a broken bone by inserting a metal rod in the hollow medullary canal of the bone.

How long does it take a broken bone to heal?

The healing process varies depending on the location of the break, the type of break, the severity of the break, and the age of the patient. It takes older people more time to heal from a fracture, but on average, a broken bone takes about six to eight weeks to heal. A broken leg will need more time than a broken arm.

What complications may arise with broken bones?

Possible complications which may take extra time and expense to treat include:

• Blood clots. A blood clot is a blood vessel blockage that can break free and travel through your body.
• Problems wearing the cast. Possible difficulties with a cast include pressure ulcers and stiffness of the joint.
• Compartment syndrome. This condition is swelling or bleeding within the muscles surrounding the fracture.
• Hemarthrosis. This condition is bleeding into a joint, causing the joint to swell.

Living with a cast can cause a great amount of pain and suffering. Casts can cause itching and discomfort. If your arm or leg is in a cast, it can be difficult to sleep. Depending on the location of the cast, you may not be able to drive or perform your job.

At Philbrook Law Office, our Vancouver and Battle Ground, WA personal injury lawyers work with your doctors and independent specialists to fully understand your injuries. We verify your injuries, find out what treatments are necessary, and explain to insurance companies and juries how the injuries affect your ability to live and work. We work to ensure you secure the compensation to which you are entitled for your pain and suffering.

To speak with a seasoned personal injury lawyer, call our lawyers in Vancouver or Battle Ground, WA. You can call us at 360-695-3309 or fill out our contact form to arrange an appointment. We handle accident claims on a contingency fee basis.