Fractures

Now that it’s summertime, take extra care when going to the beach, or surfing, or island hopping. Fractures are common especially when engaging in outdoor activites. 

According to the medical dictionary, a fracture is the medical term for a broken bone. They say the average person has two fractures during a lifetime. 

There are many types of fractures but the main categories are: displaced, non-displaced, closed and open.

In a displaced fracture, the bone snaps and the ends are not aligned. In a non-displaced fracture, the bones are broken but are aligned. A closed fracture is when there are no open wounds or puncture in the skin, while an open fracture is one in which the bone breaks through the skin.

Other types of fracture are:

• Complete fracture: when bone fragments separate completely
• Linear fracture: when the fracture is parallel to the bone’s long axis
• Transverse fracture: when the fracture is at a right angle to the bone’s long axis
• Oblique fracture: when it is diagonal to a bone’s long axis
• Spiral fracture: when at least one part of the bone has been twisted
• Impacted fracture: when the fragments are driven into each other
• Avulsion racture: when a fragment is separated from the main mass

Next week we shall discuss homeopathic remedies for a broken bone. - J.P.