Broken Leg Bones – Tingle, Mingle, Single

Posted on March 7, 2010
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There are hundreds of combinations that describe broken leg bones and the related symptoms. When a leg bone breaks it can cause a tingling sensation for example. The break may be a simple single break that doesn’t go all the way through the bone, or it can be a multiple fracture, and the bones slip apart. This is the kind of mingling you hope to avoid in your life!

In most cases, the broken leg bones will cause a significant amount of pain and swelling. It’s almost impossible to put any weight on the leg without increasing the level of pain. There can be obvious signs of breakage too. For example, with a compound fracture the broken end of a bone pierces the skin (ouch!). In other cases, there are signs of bleeding where your broken bone mingled with soft tissue causing damage. Of course, the interior of the bone is composed of spongy tissue containing blood vessels, so a break can cause bleeding until the vessels clot.

Recommended immediate first aid for broken bones is relatively simple. The leg should be elevated and immobilized. You can also apply ice. Using ice and elevating the leg will reduce swelling. Immobilizing the leg will prevent the situation from becoming worse. If you have a broken leg and try to walk on it, more damage can be caused. For example, a complete bone fracture can be turned into a complex fracture with associated soft tissue damage. A bad situation is turned into a worse one.

There are actually four bones in the leg:

• Femur or thigh bone
• Patella or knee cap
• Tibia or shin bone
• Ankle

Any of these bones can break for many different reasons. Broken leg bones are serious, because they play such an important role in the ability of the body to stand upright, walk, sit and do a number of other activities. When leg bones are broken, they can also affect the bones in the hip and back due to the inability to walk correctly.

Fortunately, leg bones are quite strong due to their dense bone mass. Broken leg bones are usually the result of some kind of trauma such as a car accident or sports injury. Constant pounding of the leg bones can cause stress fractures. A stress fracture is crack in the bone, but the bone doesn’t separate. A common cause of broken leg bones in older women is osteoporosis where the bone mass has declined.

Immediate first aid treatment for broken leg bones is only intended to get the person to a doctor without causing additional damage to the leg. Almost all broken leg bones will require immobilization. The doctor will put the leg in a splint or cast to be determined by the severity and kind of break. In many cases, a broken leg requires surgery in order to realign the broken bones though sometimes clean breaks can be set without surgery. During surgery the bones will be pinned or screwed back together to hold them in place until the new bone growth is complete. There are other techniques used also including adding a rod to the leg to add stability and strength to the broken bones.

Pictures of Broken Bones – A Thousand Words

Posted on March 6, 2010
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The old saying claims a picture is worth a thousand words and that’s true of pictures of broken bones. It’s easy to throw out words like femur and fibula, but if you can’t picture the bones then the words are virtually meaningless. Pictures of broken bones are also useful for showing the different kinds of breaks bones can experience. They show how the break looks if you could actually see the bone.

Breaks to bones have been classified by the medical community. When a bone breaks into pieces, it’s called a fracture. When a bone breaks on one side only, it’s called a greenstick fracture. In a greenstick fracture the break does not go all the way through. A comminuted fracture is when a bone breaks into more than 2 pieces. A compound fracture is when the broken end of the bone breaks through the skin. When bone bends in a child, but doesn’t actually break, it’s called a bowing fracture. An oblique fracture is a break which occurs at an angle.

After describing all the different types of fractures, it can still be hard to imagine what the fracture looks like. How do you adequately describe a broken ankle bone creating a large lump? How can anyone properly explain a crushed bone with words? Pictures of broken bones can graphically show breaks which make clear the impact of the trauma.

There are many uses for pictures of broken bones.

• Graphic description
• Research
• First aid training
• Documentation
• Medical analysis
• Information

Pictures of broken bones are also useful for showing how various repair techniques are progressing. For example, a bone that has been in a cast for several weeks can be x-rayed to show healing progress. Other pictures of broken bones may show fixation device placement such as rods and screws. Some complicated bone fractures require elaborate surgeries and special devices to hold the bones together until they heal.

If you’re interested in looking at pictures of broken bones, there are plenty online. You can find images of x-rayed bones, screwed bones, bones which have been healing and newly fractured bones.

There are many different kinds of bone fractures. Understanding the differences between the fracture types is much easier when you can look at pictures of broken bones. It’s always comforting to know as much as possible when experiencing body trauma such as a broken bone. Having a clear picture of how the bone is healing can help you stay on track and continue to follow the doctor’s advice. That’s how you’ll heal as quickly as possible!

Broken Hand Bones – I Just Tried to Stop My Fall

Posted on March 6, 2010
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Broken hand bones are often the result of either accidents or attempts to stop a fall. Hand bones include the bones in the hands and wrist. Like the foot bone structure, the hand bones are a wonderful construction of many small bones that work together almost flawlessly. There are actually 27 bones in the hand and wrist and their functioning enables human beings to do things no other animal can do.

Most broken hand bones are the end product of work place or home accidents. Participation in athletic activities is also a common cause of broken hand and wrist bones. It’s simply human nature to put stiff arms out when you think you’re falling. In fact, when you think about the times you have fallen backwards, even then you probably tried to use hand and wrist support to prevent falling all the way to the floor and hitting your head. Most of the time, there’s no thought process involved. It’s just instinctive.

Broken hand bones can be very life disruptive. We use our hands for almost everything we do. When the bones are broken and functioning ceases, it can be very handicapping for a while. There are many names for the different kinds of breaks that can occur. For example, Colles’ Fractures occur in the bones in the wrist. Common hand fractures are often in a thumb or finger tip because of accidents.

Most broken hand bones are very painful. If you think about breaking a bone when you catch a finger in a car door, then you have an idea of the pain level. The broken hand or wrist bones can cause swelling and make movement difficult. In some cases, the broken bone can be detected because it creates an obvious hump or bump.

Home first aid treatment for broken hand bones includes immobilizing the hand, applying ice to prevent excessive swelling and stopping any bleeding. The person should be taken to the doctor immediately for treatment. There are different kinds of treatments used for broken hand bones.

• Splints
• Casts
• Screws
• Plates
• Pins

Splints, casts and pinning broken hand bones together are temporary treatments. The casts and pins are only used until the bones are healed and then removed. The screws and plates are used where damage is so severe the bones need reinforcement. They are left in the hand from that point forward.

Broken wrist bones can be a sign of osteoporosis, especially if a light fall causes the breakage. Broken hand and wrist bones will be x-rayed to determine the extent of the damage. But if you are a woman over 50 that breaks your hand or wrist, the doctor will probably want to do further tests to make sure you are not developing osteoporosis.

Broken hand bones are not that common among adults except as a result of accidents. The broken bones can usually be successfully treated with no permanent damage resulting.

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