BONE FRACTURES

Rachel Bady Bio 120Chapter Four

BONE FRACTURES

A bone fracture (sometimes abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone. A bone fracture can be the result of high force impact or stress, or trivial injury as a result of certain medical conditions that weaken the bones, such as osteoporosis, bone cancer, or osteogenesis imperfecta, where the fracture is then termed pathological fracture.

STRESS FRACTURE

•A stress fracture is an overuse injury. Because of repeated micro-trauma, the bone can fail to absorb the shock that is being put upon it and become weakened. •Most often it is seen in the lower leg, the shin bone (tibia), or foot. Athletes are at risk the most, because they have repeated footfalls on hard surfaces. Tennis players, basketball players, jumpers, and gymnasts are typically at risk. •A March fracture is the name given to a stress fracture of the metatarsal or long bones of the foot. (It is named because it often occurs in soldiers who are required to march long distances.

COMPRESSION FRACTURE

•Compression fractures are the most common type of fracture affecting the spine. A compression fracture of a spine bone (vertebra) causes the bone to collapse in height. •Compression fractures are commonly the result of osteoporosis. About 700,000 cases of compression fractures due to osteoporosis occur each year in the United States. •Spine bones that are weakened from osteoporosis may become unable to support normal stress and pressure. As a result, something as simple as coughing, twisting, or lifting can cause a vertebra to fracture.

COLLES’ FRACTURE

•A colles’ fracture is defined as a break across the end of the large bone of the forearm called the radius.•As with most types of wrist fractures a fall is the primary cause of a colles’ fracture. The impact of the fall and bodyweight causes the radius to buckle. •The young and elderly are particularly susceptible to this fracture as children's bones are soft and elderly patients bones tend to be brittle. In the elderly a condition called osteoporosis can often lead to a colles’ fracture.