Signs of a fracture

Remember in childhood: "Do not run! Look under your feet! You'll fall and break yourself something! "? And there were also "heroes" who, despite all the caveats, managed to break their arm or leg, and then they proudly came to school with a plaster cast, enthusiastically telling and desperately planting, of course, how things really happened.

Nevertheless, if we discard the original "heroism" of adolescents, we understand that there is nothing funny or funny in such damages, and that human bones are fragile enough, and fracture, say, limbs can change our habitual way of life for a long time.

Realizing the seriousness of the consequences, we sometimes even slightly fell, with fear listening to ourselves, trying to dissuade ourselves and denying in turn all the signs of a fracture.

So, first of all, it should be noted that a fracture is a violation of the integrity of the bone, which, as a rule, occurs as a result of various kinds of injuries.

In turn, the impact of the traumatic factor can be of two types: direct (impact) and indirect (high axial load on the bone).

Most often, the severity of the injury directly depends on the type of bone that is affected.

Recall, by the way, that all the bones can be divided into spongy and tubular. They have different structures, and, therefore, differ from each other in their properties. For example, tubular bones (the lower and upper limbs of a person) are able to withstand much greater loads, but at the same time they are less elastic than sponge bones.

Types and signs of bone fracture:

Fractures are of several kinds, among them, for example, transverse and spiral are often encountered, but the most dangerous are the multidirectional fractures that arise as a result of comminuted lesions.

The latter type is most often the result of a fall from height or traffic accidents.

Some fractures occur without an axis shift, but sometimes, in more severe cases, several fracture lines appear, and the fragments are significantly displaced. The latter type leads to deformation of the body part.

Often, the sharp edge of a bone fragment injures adjacent vessels, as a result of which fractures are complicated by heavy bleeding as well. In some cases, the fragments can injure more nerve trunks in spinal cord fractures, the brain - with severe craniocerebral injury, and lung and pleural injuries are signs of a fractured rib.

There are two main criteria that report the probability of a fracture - relative and absolute.

Relative signs of fracture:

• Pain, which gradually increases significantly in the place of injury.

• After a while, a hematoma appears in the fracture region. If it also pulsates, it may indicate that intensive bleeding continues inside the damaged area.

• The shape of the limb changes.

• A damaged limb loses its inherent functions, for example, its mobility or ability to withstand previously tolerated loads is limited.

• There is edema in the area of the lesion.

Absolute signs of fracture:

• With an open fracture in the wound, you can see bone fragments.

• Presence of a kind of crunch called crepitation. This crunch can be heard by attaching the ear to the damaged area, and sometimes it is felt and just at hand.

• The position of the limb is unnatural.

• Abnormal mobility, i.e. The limb becomes mobile at the place where there is no joint.

Clinically, fracture symptoms can be divided into reliable and probable. The first include: a sense of crunching bone fragments at the site of the fracture and the appearance of pathological mobility. To the second - a pain, a hematoma, deformation, a bruise, infringement of function and a tumescence.

It is always worth paying close attention to the coloring of the skin immediately near the injured place, as well as in the area of the hand and foot. If you notice a strong blanching of the skin, a bluish tinge without any movement, it can speak of damage to large vessels. Serious injuries can also be indicated by a violation of skin sensitivity, unpleasant burning, lack of pulse in the damaged area, a feeling of "goosebumps", a tingling sensation.

In all the cases listed above, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.