If you are involved in a car crash or suffer a sports injury, you may sustain a bone fracture. Now, this is a serious injury, which may require surgery. Also, the injured part must be immobilized in a cast. At our Rock Hill orthopaedics clinic, we use modern treatments to promote fast and complete bone fracture recovery.
Let us explain how a broken bone heals and how long it takes on the average. But first, we will discuss the various types of fractures.
The Most Common Types of Bone Fractures
The treatment and recovery plan for a broken bone depends on the severity of the injury. Orthopedic specialists recognize the following most common types of fractures:
- Transverse: the bone is broken in its entire circumference, as if cut by a knife
- Stress fracture: a thin crack appears along the bone, without completely breaking through it
- Oblique: the bone breaks at an angle
- Greenstick: the bone is cracked on one side and bent on the other (similar to how a young tree branch breaks)
- Comminuted: the bone is shattered in three or more places
The least severe type of fracture is the stress fracture, while the most severe one is the comminuted fracture.
What Is the Bone Fracture Recovery Process?
Now that we explained the various types of fractures, let us take you on the step by step journey to recovery. Here is what happens when a bone is set in a cast:
Phase One – A Few Hours after the Injury
The bone repair process starts with the formation of swelling around the break. This inflammation is caused by a blood clot forming at the injury site, as your immune system sends cells to clean the area. These cells can remove minute bone shards and destroy any germs that may have entered the wound.
Soon, blood vessels will start growing into the area to help with the healing process.
Phase Two – 2-3 Weeks after the Injury
During the next 21 days after the fracture, you may need to come for an appointment at our Rock Hill orthopaedics center. This is an important phase in the healing process and the doctors need to check that it is progressing as it should.
At this point, a soft callus made of collagen is forming around the fractured area. As this callus will eventually solidify, it is essential to check that the bone is properly aligned and will heal normally.
The callus can break, so you must continue wearing the cast to keep the bone perfectly motionless. If our doctors notice on the X-ray that the bone is not healing in the correct position, they may remove the cast and correct the problem with surgery.
Phase Three – Up to 6-12 Weeks after the Injury
The soft callus starts solidifying little by little. Specialized cells called osteoblasts will add minerals, turning the callus into a sort of spongy bone. The broken bone pieces are completely bridged and the bone is preparing to heal completely.
Phase Four – an Ongoing Process
The last phase in bone fracture recovery may continue for years after you are pronounced fully healed. During this phase, osteoclast cells will perform fine-tuning on the injured site by removing excess bone growth.
Factors Influencing the Duration of Bone Fracture Recovery
The timeline presented above is not a one-size-fits-all for all patients. Specialists have identified various factors which may slow it down or make it more difficult, such as:
- Old age
- Obesity
- Endocrine conditions, such as diabetes mellitus
- Poor nutrition
- Smoking
- Steroid administration
The Doctors at Our Rock Hill Orthopaedics Clinic Are Ready to Help You!
If you suffered a bone fracture, the shortest journey to recovery starts at Apex Orthopaedics Spine & Neurology. The doctors at our Rock Hill ortopaedics clinic will monitor you to make sure that your bone heals correctly.
After you are out of the cast, we will help you regain full mobility and strength, making sure that you avoid future injuries.
Call us today to schedule your initial appointment with an experienced doctor at our clinic: 704-272-3880!
