The Impact of Fractures on The Quality of Life in The Patients

Understanding Fractures

The human body comprises a skeleton part that is mainly built of bones. These bones mostly reside in the arms and feet, thus enabling a person to move around efficiently, lift objects against gravity and perform other roles.

However, as curious beings, humans can often suffer traumatic incidences such as falls, motor accidents, sports injury among others that can lead to fractures. Fractures are broken or cracked bones caused when excessive force is exerted on a person.

Unlike children who have brittle bones that often bend rather than break when exposed to force, adults have more complex bones that easily fracture. This means that age is also a huge factor that affects a person’s ability to suffer fractures.

Common Types of Bone Fractures

Fractures are often categorized based on the severity of pain caused, the position of broken bones, and the shape of fractures. Some of the types of fractures include:

• Open or Closed: Open fractures tear through the skin and become visible, whereas closed fractures are not visible as they do not cut through the skin.
• Oblique Fractures: These are the fractures that occur at an angle
• Transverse fractures: These fractures are often a result of automobile accidents or falls thus causing the bone to break in a straight line.
• Impacted fracture: These are caused when bones are forced into each other by external forces
• Comminuted Fractures: These comprise bones that break into multiple pieces
• Pathologic Fracture: These refer to the fractures caused when the bones are weak
• Depressed fracture: Depressed cracks and breaks often require surgery because the bones may enter the brain and damage the skull.
• Spiral Fractures: These are the fractures that cause the broken bone twist
• Avulsion Fractures: These comprise fractured bone that separates from the skeleton

Causes of Fractured Bone

Bones are susceptible to cracking, and breaking when exposed to excessive external pressure. Other causes of fractures include:

• Age
• Falls
• Cancer
• Sport injuries
• Motor accident
• Medical conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis

Symptoms of Bone Fractures

Every injury comes with an element of pain. Therefore, whenever you suffer a fracture, you are bound to experience pain due to the hurt incurred. Other symptoms of a fracture include:

• Bleeding
• Bruising and swelling
• Redness and change in color
• Inability to move the affected area
• Infections when the bone tears through the skin exposing flesh to bacteria

Although some fractures can heal on their own, you must visit an emergency room for emergency care services and prevent further complications.

Management of A Fracture

Our bodies have a natural way of facilitating healing and responding to any alterations. However, serious incidences such as bone fractures require urgent medical attention. If you suspect a fracture, visiting a doctor enables you to identify the causes and detect any damaged blood vessels, and injuries.

Physical examinations, X-rays, and MRI scan also enable the doctor to determine the severity of the damage and the best treatment options. Medication may be prescribed to help you manage the pain. Physiotherapy treatment can also be recommended to help you realign the fractures.

Life After A Fracture

If you have recently suffered a fracture, you may probably be wondering what’s next for you. Well, here are some tips to help you cope with your situation. Since fractures require time to heal, it is important to observe some if not all of these tips to avoid getting overwhelmed or depressed.

• Practice patience because what once seemed to be seamless tasks could be impossible, but with time, you can be able to get the hang of it
• Ask for help because pushing yourself harder only complicates the healing process
• Work with reputable healthcare providers because getting professional assistance gives you access to quality information that is good for you.

You can be able to access orthopedic specialists in emergency rooms near you, all just by looking up “any available er near me.” So, do not suffer in silence when you can have specialists walk you through recovery.