Fracture Care
A fracture is defined, for all intents and purposes, as a crack in the bone. A bone is not considered “broken” until it is completely broken. You can sustain fractures through falls, sports injuries, accidents, and other bodily traumas.
Fractures come in a number of varieties. The most common fractures that Dr. Tallman treats are the following:
- Spiral Fracture: one in which the bone twists and the fracture line resembles a spiral. See Image
- Open, Compound Fracture: The skin may be pierced by the bone that breaks the skin at the time of the injury. The bone may or may not be visible in the wound.
- Transverse Fracture: This type of fracture is when the bone is fractured at a right angle to the bones axis. See Image
- Oblique Fracture: This type of fracture has an angled pattern. See Image
- Comminuted Fracture: In this type of fracture, the bone shatters into three or more pieces. See Image
Casting and bracing may be utilized to protect and stabilize the fractured bone, as may a process known as traction; in which the muscles and tendons are stretched around the bone. Additional treatments can include rest, exercise, modified activity, PRP (PRP or Platelet-Rich Plasma is a treatment method that involves therapeutic injections to combat the effects of osteoarthritis pain. PRP injections consist of blood-based growth factors taken straight from the patient’s blood plasma and applied to an injured area–causing new tissues to formulate and thus both alleviate inflammation in the tissue and promote the additional formation of tissue.
When a fracture is significantly angulated or highly displaced, then surgery may be required to set and stabilize the fracture.