Comminuted Fracture Treatment

Comminuted fracture is a very serious case of fractured bones. In this condition, the affected bone is broken into three or more pieces. For this reason, it is often termed as a multi-fragmentary fracture. The fracture can be either open or closed. In closed types, the skin is not broken, but in the open state the skin breaks and the bone protrudes out. Comminuted fracture treatment for open fractures are more difficult as it is prone to infections.

Causes and Symptoms

A comminuted fracture results from crushing of any part of a bone. It is quite common among the elderly as their bones become weak due to aging. People who are suffering from health problems like cancer, osteogenesis imperfecta, etc., have weakened bones that result in this kind of fracture. One can get this fracture if the bone is hit with enormous force which often results from accidents or a fall from a height.

The typical symptom is an unbearable pain at the site of injury. It starts as soon as one sustains the injury. The pain is accompanied by swelling and discoloration of the affected area. It becomes warm and tender to touch. Due to the bone fracture, one cannot bear any amount of weight in that area as one experiences excessive pain.

Treatment

The diagnosis of comminuted bone fracture is based upon the physical examinations of the injury site and medical history of the patient. For a more detailed investigation, laboratory tests like X-ray and CT scan are conducted. Initially, pain relieving medicines are given to provide temporary relief from the excruciating pain and ice is applied after a gap of an hour or so. Sometimes, tractions is applied where a gentle, pulling action helps to align the bones.

Our body has its own natural mechanism to heal up the fracture sustained by a bone. Therefore, the main aim of the treatment is to restore the normal position of the broken pieces of bones so that it can carry out its usual functions after healing. For this purpose, the fragmented parts of the bone are aligned with a technique known as reduction. Then the fractured part has to be kept in an immobilized state with the help of a plaster, or splint or fiberglass splint. In an impacted fracture treatment, where the broken pieces of bones tend to wedge into each other, surgical nails, screws, plates and wires are being used in order to maintain the fragments in their original position. This method is also known as open reduction.

When all these treatment options fail to show any result, then more invasive forms of surgery is conducted. Like in a compression fracture, where the vertebrae get broken, these conservative methods of treatment often fails to show any result. For this reason, compression fracture treatment involves a unique procedure known as vertebroplasty in order to provide stability to the spinal column. Here, a special kind of cement is injected into the vertebrae through a needle that helps to fix the broken bones.

Treatment usually continues for a long period of time as the broken bones take a lot of time to heal up. One has to visit the doctor regularly for a check up and to ensure that the pieces of bone are set in their proper position. Usually, the healing time could be several months. Sometimes, physical therapy is recommended for a faster recovery.