A fracture is the medical term for a broken bone.

The main categories are displaced, non-displaced, open, and closed. Displaced and non-displaced fractures refer to the way the bone breaks.

In a displaced fracture, the bone snaps into two or more parts and moves so that the two ends are not lined up straight. If the bone is in many pieces, it is called a comminuted fracture. In a non-displaced fracture, the bone cracks either part or all of the way through, but does move and maintains its proper alignment. Fractures are common; the average person has two during a lifetime. They occur when the physical force exerted on the bone is stronger than the bone itself.

Your risk of fracture depends, in part, on your age. Broken bones are very common in childhood, though children's fractures are generally less complicated than fractures in adults. As you age, your bones become more brittle and you are more likely to suffer fractures from falls that would not occur when you were young.

There are many types:

●A closed fracture is when the bone breaks but there is no puncture or open wound in the skin. An open fracture is one in which the bone breaks through the skin; it may then recede back into the wound and not be visible through the skin. This is an important difference from a closed fracture because with an open fracture there is a risk of a deep bone infection.

Some fracture types are:

●Greenstick fracture: an incomplete fracture in which the bone is bent. This type occurs most often in children.

●Transverse fracture: a fracture at a right angle to the bone's axis.

●Oblique fracture: a fracture in which the break has a curved or sloped pattern.

●Comminuted fracture: a fracture in which the bone fragments into several pieces.

●An impacted fracture is one whose ends are driven into each other. This is commonly seen in arm fractures in children and is sometimes known as a buckle fracture. Other types of fracture are pathologic fracture, caused by a disease that weakens the bones, and stress fracture, a hairline crack.

●Other types of fracture are pathologic fracture, caused by a disease that weakens the bones, and stress fracture.

●The severity of a fracture depends upon its location and the damage done to the bone and tissue near it. Serious fractures can have dangerous complications if not treated promptly; possible complications include damage to blood vessels or nerves and infection of the bone (osteomyelitis) or surrounding tissue. Recuperation time varies depending on the age and health of the patient and the type of fracture. A minor fracture in a child may heal within a few weeks; a serious fracture in an older person may take months to heal.

Signs and symptoms of a broken bone include:

●Swelling or bruising over a bone.

●Deformity of an arm or leg.

●Pain in the injured area that gets worse when the area is moved or pressure is applied.

●Loss of function in the injured area.

●In open fractures, bone protruding from the skin.

●Fractures are usually caused by a fall, blow, or other traumatic event.

Pathologic fractures are those caused by disease (such as cancer) that weakens the bones and can occur with little or no trauma. Osteoporosis, a disorder in which the bones thin and lose strength as they age, causes 1.5 million fractures each year in the U.S.—especially in the hip, wrist, and spine.

Doctors can usually recognize most fractures by examining the injury and taking X-rays.

Sometimes an X-ray will not show a fracture. This is especially common with some wrist fractures, hip fractures (especially in older people), and stress fractures. In these situations, your doctor may perform other tests, such as a computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or a bone scan.

In some cases, such as a possible wrist fracture with an initially normal X-ray, your doctor may apply a splint to immobilize the area and order a second X-ray 10 to 14 days later.

Occasionally, even after the fracture diagnosis has been made, you may need other tests (such as a CT scan, MRI, or angiogram, a special X-ray of blood vessels) to determine whether other tissues around the bone have been damaged.

If your doctor suspects a skull fracture, he or she will probably skip plain X-rays altogether and proceed directly to a CT scan, which will diagnose the fracture and any more important related injuries inside the skull, such as bleeding around the brain.

A fracture often requires emergency treatment at a hospital. An example of a minor fracture that may not require emergency care is a fracture of the tip of a toe. If you think that bones may be broken in the back, neck, or hip, do not move the person; instead, call for emergency medical assistance. If the person is in shock (faint, pale, or breathing shallowly), call for emergency help, lay the person down, and raise his or her legs about 8to 12 inches unless you think leg bones may be broken.

In other cases, you may call for assistance or transport the person to the emergency room. Before transporting the person, protect the injured area to avoid further damage. For broken arm or leg bones, put a splint (made of wood, plastic, metal, or another rigid material padded with gauze) against the area to prevent movement; wrap the splint to the area using gauze. If there is bleeding, apply pressure to stop bleeding before splinting, then elevate the fracture.

Fractured bones must be set in their proper place and held there in order to heal properly. Setting a bone is called “reduction.” Repositioning bone without surgery is “closed reduction.” Most fractures in children are treated with closed reduction. Serious fractures may require open reduction—repositioning using surgery. In some cases, devices such as pins, plates, screws, rods, or glue are used to hold the fracture in place. Open fractures must also be cleaned thoroughly to avoid infection.

After setting, most fractures are immobilized with a cast, splint, or, occasionally, traction to reduce pain and help healing. In most cases, medication is limited to painkillers to reduce pain. In open fractures, antibiotics are administered to prevent infection. Rehabilitation begins as soon as possible, even if the bone is in a cast. This promotes blood flow, healing, maintenance of muscle tone, and helps prevent blood clots and stiffness.

After the cast or splint is removed, the area around the fracture usually is stiff for several weeks with swelling and bumps. In children, increased hair on the arms and legs due to irritation of the hair follicles from the cast can occur. With fractured legs, there may be a limp. Symptoms generally disappear within a few weeks.

If you have broken a bone, once the cast or splint is removed you should gradually begin using the area again. It may take another four to six weeks for the bone to regain past strength. Ask your doctor what activity type and intensity is safe for you, based on your fracture and overall health. Exercising in a swimming pool is generally a good way to rehabilitate bones.

angiogram ['ændʒiəugræm] n.（心）血管造影

antibiotic [,æntibai'ɔtik] n.抗生素

cast [kæst] n.管型石膏

faint ['feint] adj.虚弱的

fracture ['fræktʃə] n.骨折

gauze [gɔːz] n.医用纱布

immobilize [i'məubilaiz] vt.使固定

painkiller ['pein,kilə] n.止痛药

pale [peil] adj.苍白的

reduction [ri'dʌkʃən] n.复位

rehabilitation ['riːhə,bili'teiʃən] n.功能锻炼

reposition [,riːpə'ziʃən] n.复位术；vt.使（骨骼、器官等）复位

shock [ʃɔk] n.休克

splint [splint] n.（固定骨折等用的）夹板

stiffness ['stifnis] n.僵硬

swelling ['sweliŋ] n.肿胀

traction ['trækʃən] n.牵引术

blood clot 血栓

bone scan 骨扫描

breathing shallowly 呼吸表浅

closed fracture 闭合性骨折

closed reduction 闭合复位术

comminuted fracture 粉碎性骨折

computed tomography (CT) scan 计算机断层扫描

displaced fracture 移位性骨折

emergency room 急诊室

greenstick fracture 青枝骨折

hair follicle 毛囊

impacted fracture 嵌入骨折

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 磁共振成像

muscle tone 肌张力

oblique fracture 斜形骨折

open fracture 开放性骨折

open reduction 切开复位术

pathologic fracture 病理性骨折

stress fracture 应力性骨折

transverse fracture 横形骨折