Broken Bones

The way that broken bones affect you can depend heavily on your age. If you are a young person, your body can repair the fracture much quicker and is more likely to make a full recovery. Fractures are the fourth most common injury that children under the age of six have and they rarely require surgery or any serious steps to be taken.

However, the older you get. the more difficult it is for your body to fully recover from broken bones. Elderly people are more likely to break a bone when they fall because their bodies are more fragile and are not as able to withstand as much pressure. As their bones become more likely to break, they also become slower to heal. Elderly people can have permanent disabilities from fractures, hip fractures being the most common.

According to data taken in 2010, researchers have estimated that around 158 million people around the world over the age of 50 are at an elevated risk for bone breaks. It is also estimated that that number will have been doubled by the year 2040.

There are also multiple types of fractures. They are often classified by where the bone ends up after it has been broken. Non-displaced fractures are when the bone that is broken remains in place and aligned with the bones around it. These types of fractures are more likely to heal by themselves.

• Displaced fracturesThese fractures can be much more difficult to deal with and are often more painful to experience. If your fracture is displaced, it means that the bone fell out of alignment when it broke. This requires each side of the bone to be placed back into alignment before it can heal.

• Closed fracturesThese kinds of fractures happen when the bone remains inside your body. Simply put, if you cannot see anything sticking outside of your skin, it is a closed fracture. If the break is serious enough where the bone does pierce your skin, you have an open fracture.

Types of breaks are also measured by how the bone breaks. If it breaks into multiple pieces, it is called a comminuted fracture. Often with children, the bone does not fully break but bends inside their body. This is referred to as a greenstick fracture.

While there are countless opportunities for fractures in the human body, there are some bones that tend to break more often.

• Clavicle
  This can happen often while kids are playing or during a car accident. Fractured arms are also common.
• Arms
  Of the bones that adults break, approximately half of them are arms, and they are the second most common fractures for children.
• Wrists
  Wrists are also common places for breaks. These types of broken bones can often happen in the same ways.
• Hip breaks
  This happens a lot especially in the elderly. These breaks can be more serious and can sometimes lead to death for people in the latter half of their lives.
• Fractured Ankle
  The most common break is a fractured ankle. They can happen in a plethora of ways and so are much more likely than other breaks.