home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
CD-ROM Today (UK) (Spanish) 15
/
CDRT.iso
/
dp
/
0003
/
0003500.tid
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-01-17
|
2KB
|
40 lines
$Title{Fractures}
A Medical Times Patient Education Chart
(C) Romaine Pierson Publishers, Inc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fractures
A fracture is a break in a bone, and may occur in any bone including the
skull. Fractures are usually caused by traumatic injuries but they may also
occur without injury in bone that has been weakened by disease. The various
kinds of fractures have the following designations:
- Complete--The bone is broken all the way across.
- Incomplete--The break goes only partly through the bone; they occur very
rarely and almost always in children (see greenstick fracture).
- Greenstick--An incomplete fracture in which one side of the bone is
broken and the other side is bent. This fracture most often occurs in the
bones of young children which, like green sticks, are quite flexible.
- Buckle--An incomplete fracture in which the bone is compressed or
buckled. Like the greenstick, this fracture usually occurs only in the
pliable bones of children.
- Simple or closed--The skin surrounding the fracture has not been injured.
- Compound or open--Bone fragments have pierced the skin resulting in an
open wound.
- Comminuted--The bone is fractured into more than two pieces.
- Pathologic--A fracture which occurs from a mild stress in an area of bone
that has been weakened by disease.
As people age, their bones lose mineral substance and become more
fragile. Because of this weakening, fractures may occur more easily in the
bones of older people.
The treatment of fractures will vary greatly depending upon the age of
the patient, which bone is fractured, and the severity of the injury. Some
fractures may require no treatment. Some require only an external plaster
cast. More serious fractures may require that the bones be pulled into
alignment and held with traction, and some may require direct repair with
metal pins, nails, screws, or plates. In extreme cases, a portion of the bone
may have to be replaced with an artificial section made out of plastic or
metal.