Types of Bone Fractures
There are many different types of fractures. Their names describe the severity and the physical characteristics of the fracture. The various types of fractures are:
Hairline fractures:
Hairline fractures are fractures in which there is a thin crack in the bone.
Complete fractures:
Complete fractures are fractures in which the bone has broken into two pieces entirely.
Greenstick fractures:
Greenstick fractures are fractures in which the bone is bent and cracked. These fractures are named greenstick fractures because they resemble what would happen if you tried to break a green stick. Greenstick fractures occur more often in children than in adults because children’s bones are softer, making them more likely to bend than to break.
Single fractures:
Single fractures are fractures in which there is a break in only one place.
Comminuted fractures:
Comminuted fractures are fractures in which there is a break in more than one place or the bone has been crushed.
Bowing fractures:
Bowing fractures are fractures in which the bone bends but does not break. Bowing fractures can only happen in children. This is because children’s bones are less rigid, making them more susceptible to bends than to breaks.
Open fractures:
Open fractures are fractures in which the end of the broken bone pierces through the skin. These are also known as compound fractures. Open fractures generally occur only with high-energy injuries, such as car accidents, falls, or, rarely, sports injuries. This type of injury requires immediate medical care, as there is a high risk of infection.
Transverse fractures:
Transverse fractures are fractures in which the break is straight across the bone.
Oblique fractures:
Oblique fractures are fractures in which the break is slanted across the bone.
Spiral fractures:
Spiral fractures are fractures in which the break winds around the bone.
Longitudinal fractures:
Longitudinal fractures are fractures in which the break runs along the shaft of the bone.
Avulsion fractures:
Avulsion fractures are fractures in which a piece of bone breaks off from the main bone. This usually occurs when the tendon that attaches muscle to the bone rips away a part of the broken bone.
Compression fractures:
Compression fractures are fractures in which the bone collapses. Compression fractures usually only affect the spongy bone in the spine.
Complicated fractures:
Complicated fractures are fractures in which the break causes injury to the surrounding structures, such as blood vessels, nerves, and muscles.
Fracture-dislocations:
Fracture-dislocations are fractures in which the bones that make up a joint break and the joint has also been dislocated.
Impacted fractures:
Impacted fractures are not common. Generally when a bone breaks, the two halves separate from one another. Rarely, one of the broken parts of bone is driven into the other. This is called an impacted fracture.