Fracture
What is it?
- A disruption in the continuity of the bone
- Main categories are:
- Displaced - the bone snaps and becomes misaligned
- Non-displaced - the bone breaks but maintains normal alignment
- Closed - the broken bone does not break through skin
- Open - the broken bone breaks through the skin
- A bone fractures when the forces applied to it are greater than the bone structure strength
- Falls, contact sports, motor vehicle accident
- Osteoarthritis or other pathological factors can weaken the bones which leads to increased risk of fractures.
- swelling or bruising
- deformation of normal shoulder anatomy
- pain increases with movement or pressure at fracture site
- loss of function
- bone is visible through the skin
- Pain at the fracture site
- Possible referred pain down the arm if nerve involvement is present
- X-Ray
- Diagnostic Ultrasound
- CT scan
- Swelling and/or tenderness at fracture site
- Bruising
- Deformation from normal bony alignment