Breaks can be caused by many factors, such as disease, a sudden blow or by slow-building pressure that can apply excessive force to bones. Breaks can vary in seriousness; some are medical emergencies requiring intensive treatment while others can heal on their own with rest and time. Broken bones aren’t always easy to recognize. Learn more so you’ll know what to do if a break occurs.
How Broken Bones Happen
Bones can break in a variety of ways—due to trauma such as a car accident or fall, weak bones due to osteoporosis, or stress fractures which are cracks in a bone that occur over time. The legs and feet are common sites for stress fractures.
Catching a Break
Some breaks are difficult to identify, such as ones that don’t break the skin or cause a visible deformity, and may resemble other injuries, especially sprains. Both can cause pain, swelling and bruising. However, a fracture may cause more significant symptoms, including:
- Bleeding
- Bones that look displaced but don’t protrude through the skin
- Extreme pain
- Inability to move your arm or leg
- Numbness
- Part of the bone sticks through the skin
- Tingling
Seeking Care for Broken Bones
The National Library of Medicine lists the following fractures as needing emergency care:
- Possible broken bones in the head, such as a fracture in your eye socket
- A fracture in your neck, back, pelvis, hip or upper leg
- A bone that has come through the skin
- A wound with severe bleeding
Less serious injuries deserve timely attention but not emergency care. It’s important to determine whether you have a fracture or a sprain so you can start the appropriate treatment. Urgent care providers can diagnose and treat sprains and non-serious fractures, such as a broken bone in the foot, ankle, wrist, or hand. After examining you, the provider will likely order an X-ray to see whether the bone is broken, and if so, its location and severity.
In many cases a cast is necessary to keep the bone still and in the proper alignment while it heals. A brace allows some movement while keeping a break in place for healing. Major breaks may require metal parts inside or outside the body to maintain correct positioning while they heal.
More to Read
- Should You Go to the ER or Urgent Care?
- The Top 10 Signs You Might Need a Concussion Test
- 7 Tips to Help Your Child Avoid Sports Injury This Season
- Is It Serious? Understanding Your Child’s Pain
