Total Treatment for Patients With Broken Bones
A bone fracture is a broken bone. A fracture can involve a crack, partial break or total break of a bone. Fractures can be minor or severe, but they’re often very painful. If you have a fracture, you need expert care to treat it properly.
The orthopedic experts at St. Luke’s care for patients from throughout the St. Louis metro area who need treatment for bone fractures. We’ll work with you on a customized treatment plan that meets your needs, from casting and splinting through surgery if needed. If you do need surgery, our computer-assisted surgical techniques give our surgeons more precision during your procedure.
Types of Fractures We Treat
Fractures by Body Area
Our providers have experience with caring for patients who have fractures in all different areas of the body, including:
- Arms and elbows, including clavicle (collarbone), shoulder and humerus (upper arm bone)
- Hand, wrist and fingers, including metacarpals (bones that connect the wrist to the fingers)
- Ribs
- Pelvis
- Hip, including the acetabulum (the socket part of the hip joint)
- Leg, including the femur (thighbone), patella (kneecap), growth plate, tibia (shin bone) and fibula (calf bone)
- Foot and ankle fractures, including the Lisfranc joint (where the toes connect to the foot), talus (a bone that connects the ankle to the leg), pilon (a type of fracture that can happen at the bottom of the shin bone near the ankle) and more
Fractures by Pattern or Shape
The pattern of how your bone has broken is a major factor in how we treat it. Bone fracture patterns include:
- Comminuted: This type involves a bone that has splintered or shattered into many pieces. Comminuted fractures often mean a long and complex process for treatment and healing.
- Compound: This type, also known as an open fracture, occurs when the broken bone pierces the skin.
- Greenstick: This involves a bone that has bent so severely that it cracks along one side, rather than completely breaking. Most greenstick fractures happen in children younger than 10, due to their softer bones as compared to older children and adults.
- Oblique: This involves a bone that has broken at an angle, rather than straight across.
- Segmental: This involves a bone that has broken in at least two places. The result is a segment of bone that is separated from the rest. Segmental fractures usually occur in long bones, like the femur, and usually result from traumatic injuries, such as car accidents.
- Spiral: This involves a bone that has broken with a twisting motion, which results in a fracture pattern that looks like a corkscrew. Spiral fractures often occur in long bones, like the femur, and usually result from falls or other traumatic injuries.
- Stable: This is when the two ends of the broken bone are still aligned. Stable fractures tend to heal more quickly than others, because we don’t need to reset the bone.
- Transverse: This involves a bone that has broken straight across, rather than at an angle.
How We Diagnose Fractures
Your provider will start with a physical exam. You’ll also need an imaging test to confirm that you have a fracture and, if so, how what kind it is. X-rays are the most common choice, but your doctor may also order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and/or a computed tomography (CT) scan.
Our Fracture Treatment Options
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of fracture you have — where it is and how severe it is. We offer the full range of fracture treatments, including:
- Immobilization: For mild fractures, you may only need a cast or splint to hold the bone in place while it heals.
- Closed reduction: For more severe fractures, your doctor may need to realign (set) your bone. You’ll receive medication to either numb the area or make you sleep during a closed reduction.
- Surgery: For highly severe fractures, you may need surgery to realign the bones. We offer both internal fixation (setting the bone with pieces of metal inside your body to hold the bone in place) and external fixation (setting the bone with screws, braces and/or brackets outside the body to hold the bone in place).
- Arthroplasty: For certain fractures, such as for hips or knees, your doctor may recommend replacing the joint. Learn more about hip replacement or knee replacement.
- Bone grafting: If you need additional bone tissue to reset your fractured bone, you may need to have bone taken from elsewhere in your body or from a donor. We can also use artificial bone.
Fracture Symptoms
Pain — often severe — is the main symptom of a fracture. You may not be able to move the injured area after a fracture. Other symptoms you may notice include:
- Bruising
- Deformity (the injured area looking different than it normally does), such as a bump that isn’t normally there
- Inflammation (swelling)
Risk Factors for Fractures
Anyone can fracture a bone. They often occur because of trauma, such as car accidents, falls or sports injuries.
If you have osteoporosis (a disease that weakens the bones), you are at higher risk for a fracture. Talk to your doctor about screening options and other ways to reduce your risk.