Fracture, open
Fracture, open: A fracture in which the bone is sticking through the skin. Also called a compound fracture.
A fracture is a break in the bone or cartilage. It usually is a result of trauma but can be due to an acquired disease of bone such as osteoporosis or abnormal formation of bone in a congenital disease of bone such as osteogenesis imperfecta (“brittle bone disease”).
Fractures are classified by their character and location. Examples of classification include “transverse fracture of the humerus,” “spiral fracture of the femur,” “greenstick fracture of the radius,” “impacted fracture of the humerus,” “linear fracture of the ulna,” “oblique fracture of the metatarsal,” “compression fracture of the vertebrae,” and “depressed fracture of the skull.”
Note that “comminuted fracture” in which the bone is fragmented is distinguished from a “compound (open) fracture.”
Read Also:
- Fracture, Salter-Harris
Fracture, Salter-Harris: A traumatic fracture of the physeal and/or epiphyseal growth plate. Salter-Harris fractures occur in the extremities of children at the point where new bone is being formed as the bones grow.
- Fracture, spiral
Fracture, spiral: A fracture, sometimes called a torsion fracture, in which a bone has been twisted apart. A fracture is any break in the bone or cartilage. It usually is a result of trauma but can be due to an acquired disease of bone such as osteoporosis or abnormal formation of bone in a congenital […]
- Fracture, stress
Fracture, stress: A fracture caused by repetitive stress, as may occur in sports, strenuous exercise, or heavy physical labor. Stress fractures are especially common in the metatarsal bones of the foot, particularly in runners. Osteoporosis increases the possibility of stress fractures. Treatment includes rest, disuse, and sometimes splinting or casting to prevent reinjury during healing.
- Fracture, toddler's
Fracture, toddler’s: A torsion fracture of the tibia that occurs without bone displacement. This fracture is called toddler’s fracture because it occurs in infants who are early on in their walking, causing a stress breakage of bone in the large bone of the leg below the knee.
- Fracture, torsion
Fracture, torsion: A fracture, also called a spiral fracture, in which a bone has been twisted apart. A fracture is any break in the bone or cartilage. It usually is a result of trauma but can be due to an acquired disease of bone such as osteoporosis or abnormal formation of bone in a congenital […]