Almost everyone has experienced a fracture at one point in their lives, some people don’t even know it happened, but they are by far the minority. So, what happens when the very bones of you get damaged?
What is it then?
A fracture is a broken bone. Yes, the only difference between a broken bone and a fracture is the word itself. You can fracture any bone in your body, from your eye socket to your pinky finger to your femur. If its bone and you aren’t careful, it’ll snap.
How bad is it?
That’s where it gets a bit more complicated. Bones can apparently break in a staggering variety of ways. I’ll list some here, but I may need to do Advanced Fractures in the future to give each enough time.
Fractures come in two major varieties: incomplete and complete. They are pretty much what it sounds like; broken all the way through or not all the way through. But even each of these categories has sub-categories; there really are a ton of ways to break your bones.
Incomplete fractures are hairline (only broken a bit), greenstick (halfway broken) and torus fracture (half broken with a bump). Complete Fractures go from snapped all the way through to crushed, and we don’t likely need to hear those ones right now.
Can I prevent it?
Calcium, Vitamin D and lots of exercise of almost any type can help to maintain bone strength. Good examples of exercises are walking, hiking, running and dancing (yes there’s a theme… get up and move around!).
What if it happens to me?
Immediately seek medical help. Bones are pretty darn important and are right smack dab in the middle of muscles, arteries and a whole host of other important body stuff. So better get someone who knows what they are doing to look at it.
Will I be okay?
Fractures of most types, if cared for properly, will heal with little to no complications. Factors include age, bone health and so many more I can’t list them here. This is where that medical professional I suggested you go see will help a great deal. Serious injuries, fractures or not, will always depend on medical, time and a decent amount of luck, despite what we’d all like to believe. Most importantly though, is know what’s going on, inside and out. That’s why its best to always: Know Your Damage!
As always, get proper training and medical advice before trusting anything on the internet! Hey look, a link!