What is Comminuted Fractures and How is It Treated?

Comminuted fractures are injuries in which the bone has been severely broken and cracked into fragments. The broken bone requires emergency care to heal and prevent more damage. Common types of comminuted fractures are open and closed. A comminuted open fracture is one in which the skin is perforated. And if the skin does not break free, you may have a closed, comminuted fracture.

What Causes Comminuted Fractures?

Usually, a comminuted fracture affects the femur, the tibia, the humerus, the ulna, and the radius. Untreated comminuted femur and tibia fractures are most likely to become unstable. A fracture doesn’t necessarily require metal or pins to mend the ends. Your doctor can often heal bones without surgery. Consult with pain management in Dallas about appropriate therapy for a broken bone.

Your doctor may call a broken bone a fracture. The types of fractures vary. Comminuted fractures occur. Breaking your bone into three or more fragments causes this injury. A fracture might be open or closed. An open or complicated fracture, according to medical professionals, is a wound-related skin break. If your skin doesn’t break. Strong falls or car accidents often cause comminuted fractures. Comminuted fractures are frequently caused by high-speed, forceful impacts.

 Many factors can cause these injuries. Common causes include:

• Car crashes
• Sport injuries
• Falls from a tremendous height

A Comminuted Fracture Has What Symptoms?

Comminuted fractures usually cause pain near the shattered bones. How many times the bone is broken may increase the agony. Walking on a fractured leg may worsen the discomfort. Symptoms of a comminuted fracture may include swelling, bruising, tingling, and an odd angle of the injured body part.

How are Comminuted Fractures Diagnosed?

Health professionals use physical exams and imaging to detect comminuted fractures. The emergency room may perform this if you’re admitted following trauma.  In an ER, a team will stabilize you and treat your injuries in order of severity, especially life-threatening ones. Imaging tests confirm your fracture after stabilization.

What Tests are Used to Diagnose Comminuted Fractures?

You’ll need one of several imaging tests to photograph your fracture:

•  X-rays: X-rays indicate comminuted fractures and reveal bone destruction.
•  Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Your provider may employ an MRI to obtain a comprehensive representation of the injury to your bones and the surrounding area. The MRI will also display your bone tissue. This is crucial to assessing trauma’s effects on muscles, connective tissue, and organs.

It is better for your knee pain doctor in Dallas to see your bones and the flesh around them on a CT scan than on an X-ray.

Comminuted Fracture Recovery Time?

Comminuted fractures heal slower than uncomplicated fractures because numerous breaks are healing at the same time.  It can take up to a year to heal from these kinds of fractures, based on how severe they are and how well you can handle surgery, physical therapy, and other treatments. The bone may take months or years to mend.

What Distinguishes Comminuted and Segmental Fractures?

Breaks in the bone that leave a “segment” of bone between two full fracture lines are called segmental fractures. The original bone breaks into three or more fragments in a comminuted fracture. Fracture lines don’t usually split bones. Some segmental fractures commute.

Surgery for Comminuted Fractures

Comminuted fractures often need surgery. Surgery helps your doctor align all the bone components for a robust, stable healing. Comminuted fracture surgery often involves two procedures: 

• External fixation stabilizes the bone using rods and screws. This external frame is surgically installed and removed.
• ORIF: open reduction internal fixation. This procedure stabilizes the bone with internal plates, screws, rods, and wires. Sometimes these are permanent, but sometimes later surgery removes them.  Orthopedic surgeons do these operations.

Casting

A cast is usually required after surgery. Casts immobilize bones so they can recover. Broken bones usually require six to eight weeks of casts. Comminuted fractures are more serious; therefore, you may need a longer cast. Some patients need month-long casts. External fixations may require a cast when pins and rods are removed. It gives your bones more time to solidify. Discuss the cast duration with your doctor. Ask if you must avoid contact sports when the cast comes off.

Comminuted Fracture Risk Factors

These risk factors may enhance the probability of a comminuted fracture:

• Age: Fractures are more likely as bones weaken and break.
• Gender: Women are more likely than men to get osteoporosis, which can make breaking a bone more likely.
• Lifestyle: Individuals who smoke, consume alcohol excessively, and maintain a poor diet are at a heightened risk of developing fractures and osteoporosis.
• Medical conditions: Cancer and diabetes weaken bones and increase fracture risk.

 How do I Avoid Comminuted Fractures?

 Several methods can be used to prevent comminuted fractures:

• Regular exercise: walking, jogging, and powerlifting build bones and prevent fracture risk.
• Keep up a healthy diet. Eating foods that are high in calcium and vitamin D can help your bones stay strong and lower your risk of breaking them.
• Quit smoking to prevent fractures. Smoking weakens bones.
• Alcohol weakens bones, so drink moderately to avoid fractures.
• Wear protective gear: The use of helmets, knee cushions, and other protective gear during physical sports or other activities can help prevent fractures.
• Climbing ladders or doing extreme sports might cause falls and other injuries.