Fractures, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:09 Types of Fractures
3:32 Causes of Fractures
4:00 Symptoms of Fractures
4:15 Diagnosis of Fractures
4:47 Treatment of Fractures
A fracture is a medical term for a broken bone. It is a medical condition characterized by a partial or complete break in the continuity of the bone.
• Most human bones are strong and can generally withstand strong impact or forces. However, bones break when the pressure or force applied to them are too much than what they can normally withstand or if there is something wrong with them.
• Bones are the skeleton of the body that allows us to interact with our environment, they act as attachment points for muscles which allow for running, jumping, sitting, kneeling, grasping and lifting.
• As we age, the bones become brittle and the force they can handle or withstand reduces, this increases the risk of fracture.
• Immediate medical care is needed after a bone is fractured as serious fractures can have severe complications if not treated immediately. Complications include damage to the blood vessels and infections of the bone or surrounding tissue.
TYPES OF FRACTURE
Traumatic fracture, this type of fracture is sustained from a trauma such as fractures due to a fall, accident, fight etc.
Pathologic fracture, this type is as a result of an underlying condition or disease that has already weakened the bone such as cancer, osteoporosis.
Closed fracture, it is also a simple fracture, in a closed fracture, the broken bone does not break the underlying skin.
Open fracture, in this type, the broken bone tear the skin and may thus expose the bone to contamination. With an open fracture, there is a higher risk of infection.
Transverse fracture, a fracture where the break is in a straight line across the bone
Spiral fracture, a fracture where at least one part of the bone has been twisted
Oblique fracture, a fracture where the break is diagonal across the bone.
Impacted fracture, a fracture where one fragment of bone goes into another i.e bone fragments are driven into each other
Avulsion fracture, a fracture where a fragment of bone is separated or pulled off by a ligament or tendon.
Complete fracture, a fracture in which the bone breaks completely. Types of complete fractures are:
• Comminuted fracture, bone fragments breaks into three or more pieces
• Single fracture, bone fragment breaks in one place into two pieces
• Nondisplaced fracture, bone fragments breaks into pieces and stay in their normal alignment
• Displaced fracture, bone fragment breaks into pieces that shift off their normal alignment