Musculoskeletal System

By Donna On Biology 120 Chapter 4 J

02.08.12

What is a Fracture? • An injury to a bone that causes it to break.

• There are many type of fractures.

• The type of forces or trauma applied to the bone may determine what type of injury that occurs.

• Fractures are named to describe the type of damage to the bone. – Where in the bone the break has occurred

– How the bone fragments are aligned

– Whether any complications exist

– Whether the skin is intact

Greenstick Fracture • Fracture in which there is an

incomplete break. • One side of the bone is broken

and the other side is bent. • This type of fracture is commonly

found in children due to their softer and more pliable bone structure.

• A common cause of a greenstick fracture is a fall, as falls can cause a bone to bend further than it is able too.

Compound Fracture • Fracture in which the skin has

been broken through to the fracture (also called an open fracture).

• Open fractures are typically caused by high-energy injuries such as car crashes, falls, or sports injuries.

• An open fractures often require immediate surgery to clean the area of the injury.

Colles‘ (COL-eez) Fracture • A Colles' fracture is often called a ''broken

wrist.''

• It's a break in the larger of the two bones in your forearm. The bone breaks on the lower end, close to where it connects to the bones of the hand on the thumb side of the wrist.

• Colles' fractures are very common; they're the most frequently broken bone in the arm.

• Injuries result from falling onto an outstretched arm or getting hit on the wrist.

• Broken wrists are common in people who play contact sports, as well as skiers, inline skaters, and bikers.

Sources • Medical Terminology: A Living Language by Bonnie F.

Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall Publishing, 2009

• Human Anatomy and Physiology by Elaine N. Marieb and Katja Hoehn, 8th Edition, Pearson, 2010

Pictures are taken from:

• http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=ii