You Do That Again and Ill Break Every Bone in Your Body

Overview

Spiral fractures twist around bones. — Screw fractures twist effectually bones.

What is a spiral fracture?

Spiral fractures are a blazon of broken bone. They happen when one of your bones is broken with a twisting motility. They create a fracture line that wraps around your bone and looks like a corkscrew. You lot might run across spiral fractures referred to as complete fractures. This means the line of the break goes all the style through your os.

Spiral fractures usually affect long basic in your trunk. Some of the most common include:

Femur (thigh).
Tibia (shin).
Fibula (calf).
Talus (ankle).
Humerus (upper arm).
Radius and ulna (forearm).
Phalanges and metacarpals (fingers and hand).

Spiral fractures are virtually e'er acquired by falls or other traumas. Yous might need surgery to repair your bone. How long it takes to recover fully depends on which of your basic are fractured — and what caused the breaks. Nearly people need a few months to recover from a spiral fracture.

Spiral fractures vs. greenstick fractures

Screw fractures and greenstick fractures are dissimilar types of bone fractures. They are dissimilar terms that tell your healthcare provider specific details nigh how your bones are broken, where they are broken and what they look similar within of your body right now.

Screw fractures happen when a fracture winds around the length of your bone — like a spiral staircase. They can be caused past, falls, accidents and sports injuries when your basic are twisted with keen force (similar getting tackled in football).

Greenstick fractures happen when your bone is aptitude to the signal that it cracks just doesn't interruption all the manner through. If you've always tried breaking a greenish, or immature, stick with your hands, it cracks merely doesn't break cleanly as a dry out twig would. That dandy without snapping completely is the difference betwixt greenstick fractures and complete fractures. Greenstick fractures are more common in kids than adults.

Screw fractures vs. toddler fractures

Toddler fractures are a type of screw fracture that usually affects children younger than three. Toddler fractures are acquired by the same twisting motions as other spiral fractures, but near always happen to children's shin bones (tibia).

No matter which names and terms are applied to your fracture, the nearly important start footstep is getting your injury examined by a healthcare provider as soon equally possible.

How mutual are spiral fractures?

Spiral fractures are rare. Because they're acquired past serious accidents and traumas near people don't experience, screw fractures are much less common than other types of broken basic.

Who gets spiral fractures?

Spiral fractures — like all bone fractures — tin affect anyone. This is especially true because they're caused by accidents or traumas. If yous're at risk for falls, y'all might be more likely to experience a spiral fracture. People with osteoporosis have an increased risk for all types of broken bones, including spiral fractures.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of a screw fracture?

Symptoms of a spiral fracture include:

Pain.
Swelling.
Tenderness.
Inability to move a function of your body that you normally can.
Bruising or discoloration.
A deformity or bump that'southward non unremarkably on your body.

Open vs. closed fractures

Your healthcare provider volition classify your fracture as either open or closed. If y'all take an open up fracture, your bone breaks through your pare. Open fractures normally accept longer to heal and take an increased risk of infections and other complications. Closed fractures are still serious, but your bone doesn't push through your skin.

Displaced screw fractures

Displaced or non-displaced are more terms your healthcare provider will utilize to describe your fracture. A displaced fracture means the pieces of your bone moved so much that a gap formed around the fracture. Non-displaced fractures are still broken bones, but the pieces weren't moved far enough to be out of alignment during the break. Displaced fractures are much more likely to require surgery to repair.

What causes spiral fractures?

Whatever bear on to your bones that twists them tin crusade screw fractures. They're commonly acquired by something suddenly jerking one of your limbs or your trunk away from their usual position. Some of the nigh common causes include:

Falls.
Car accidents.
Sports injuries.
Workplace accidents.

Diagnosis and Tests

How are screw fractures diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will diagnose a screw fracture with a concrete exam and imaging tests.

What tests are done to diagnose a spiral fracture?

After a physical examination, you'll likely need at to the lowest degree one of a few imaging tests:

X-rays: An X-ray will confirm any spiral or other fractures and prove how damaged your bones are.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) : Your healthcare provider might utilise an MRI to go a consummate picture of the damage to your bones and the area around them. This'll bear witness them tissue around your bones, too. This is especially important to make up one's mind if your muscles, connective tissue and organs were injured.
CT scan : If yous demand surgery, your healthcare provider or surgeon needs to know exactly how damaged your bones are. A CT scan will give them a more detailed picture of your bones and the surrounding tissue than an X-ray.

Management and Treatment

How are spiral fractures treated?

How your spiral fracture is treated depends on the severity of your original break and which bone is broken. Your broken basic need to heal back together. Depending on how damaged they are and what acquired them to break, there are a few treatments your healthcare provider might use.

Immobilization

If your break is balmy and your bones didn't move far out of place (if it's non-displaced), yous might only need a splint or bandage. Splinting normally lasts for 3 to five weeks. If yous need a cast, information technology will likely be for longer, typically half dozen to eight weeks. In both cases, yous'll likely demand follow-up 10-rays to brand sure your bones are healing correctly.

Airtight reduction

More than severe breaks require a airtight reduction to set (realign) your bones. During this nonsurgical procedure, your healthcare provider will physically push and pull your body on the outside to line up your cleaved bones on the within. To forestall you from feeling pain during the process, you lot'll receive one of the post-obit:

Local anesthetic to numb the surface area around your fracture.
Sedatives to relax your whole body.
General anesthesia to make yous sleep through the process.

After the closed reduction, your healthcare provider will put you in a splint or cast.

Spiral fracture surgery

Internal fixation

The most astringent fractures require surgery. Your surgeon will realign (set) your bones to their correct position and then secure them in identify and then they tin heal and abound back together. They usually perform what'south called an internal fixation, which means your surgeon inserts pieces of metal into your bone to agree it in place while information technology heals. Internal fixation techniques include:

Rods: A rod inserted through the center of your bone that runs from top to bottom.
Plates and screws: Metal plates screwed into your os to hold the pieces together in place.
Pins and wires: Pins and wires concord pieces of bone in identify that are too small for other fasteners. They'll typically be used at the same time as either rods or plates.

Some people alive with these pieces inserted in them forever. You might need follow-up surgeries to remove them.

External fixation

You might demand an external fixation. Your surgeon volition put screws or pins in your os on either side of your fracture within your trunk, so connect them to a brace or bracket around the bone outside of your torso. This is normally a temporary way to stabilize your fracture and requite it time to begin healing before yous have an internal fixation.

Bone grafting

You might need bone grafting if your screw fracture is severely displaced or if your bone isn't healing back together also every bit it should. Your surgeon will insert additional bone tissue to rejoin your fractured bone. Later that, they'll usually perform an internal fixation to hold the pieces together while your bone regrows. Bone grafts can come from a few sources:

Internally from somewhere else in your body — normally the pinnacle of your hip bone.
An external donor.
An bogus replacement piece.

Spiral fracture surgeries are normally outpatient procedures, and you should be able to go habitation the aforementioned 24-hour interval depending on the bone that was fractured. If y'all need surgery on a larger bone like your femur (thigh) or tibia (shin), yous'll probably need to stay in the hospital for a day or two after your surgery.

After your surgery, the part of your trunk with the fractured bone in information technology volition be immobilized. You'll need some combination of a brace, splint or bandage before you can start putting whatsoever weight on information technology again or using it similar yous did earlier your fracture.

What medications are used to treat spiral fractures?

Over-the-counter NSAIDs like aspirin or ibuprofen tin atomic number 82 to bleeding and other complications after a surgery. Your surgeon will talk to you about the medications you lot can take to reduce pain after your surgery.

Complications of screw fracture handling

Screw fracture surgery complications include:

Astute compartment syndrome (ACS): A build-upwardly of pressure in your muscles may end blood from getting to tissue, which tin cause permanent muscle and nerve impairment.
Malunion: This happens when your broken bones don't line up correctly while they heal.
Nonunion: Your bones may not grow back together fully or at all.
Os infection (osteomyelitis): If you have an open fracture (the bone breaks through your pare), yous accept an increased risk of bacterial infection.
Other internal damage: Fractures can harm the area around the injury, including your muscles, nerves, blood vessels, tendons and ligaments.

Side effects of NSAIDs include:

Haemorrhage.
Ulcers.
Tum pain.
Bowel complications.

How soon after handling will I feel meliorate?

It might have a few weeks for your symptoms to improve. Depending on which type of surgery you had to repair your spiral fracture — and which bones were broken — you lot should be able to starting time moving again in a few weeks.

If you lot feel intense hurting that doesn't get better, contact your healthcare provider correct away.

Prevention

How tin I reduce my run a risk for spiral fractures?

Follow these full general prophylactic tips to reduce your risk of an injury:

Ever wear your seatbelt.
Wear the right protective equipment for all activities and sports.
Make certain your home and workspace are costless from clutter that could trip you or others.
Always apply the proper tools or equipment at abode to reach things. Never stand on chairs, tables or countertops.
Follow a diet and do plan that volition aid you lot maintain adept os health.
Talk to your provider nearly a os density exam if you're older than 50 or if y'all have a family history of osteoporosis.

How tin can I forestall a screw fracture?

Spiral fractures are commonly caused by falls, accidents or sports injuries so there's not much you tin to prevent them.

Outlook / Prognosis

What can I await if I have a screw fracture?

If you take a screw fracture, you should wait to make a total recovery.

You lot'll need physical therapy to regain forcefulness and range of motion in the function of your body that was injured.

How long does it have a spiral fracture to heal?

How long information technology takes you to heal depends on the severity of your fracture and which treatments you needed. Most people need a few months to recover from a spiral fracture.

There are lots of factors that can affect how long information technology takes your body to heal. Talk to your healthcare provider or surgeon virtually a timeline that fits your specific situation.

Will I need to miss work or school?

Your specific injuries and which bones are fractured volition impact how long yous'll demand to miss work, school and other activities.

Talk to your surgeon or healthcare provider before resuming any physical activities while y'all're recovering.

Outlook for a spiral fracture

The outlook for nigh spiral fractures is positive. Even if you need surgery, you lot should make a total recovery. Depending on the severity of your fracture, y'all might need to avert sure activities fifty-fifty afterward y'all've recovered. Talk to your healthcare provider or surgeon about the best ways to prevent future injuries and fractures.

Living With

When should I get to the emergency room?

If you call back yous have a spiral fracture — or any other cleaved os — you need to see a healthcare provider as soon as possible. Become to the emergency room if you experience any of the following:

Intense pain.
You can't move a part of your body that you lot unremarkably tin.
A part of your body is noticeably different looking or out of its usual place.
You lot tin can encounter your bone through your skin.
Swelling.
New bruising that appears at the same time every bit any of these other symptoms.

Become to the emergency room right away if you've experienced a trauma.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

Which bones are fractured?
Do I have a screw fracture or another type of pause?
Will I need surgery?
How long will information technology accept to recover?
When can I resume physical activities?

A notation from Cleveland Dispensary

Screw fractures are scary-sounding injuries, just your healthcare provider and surgeon will get yous dorsum on your feet as possible. Don't rush your recovery. Take each stride equally it comes, and give yourself fourth dimension to heal. Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider virtually how you lot tin keep your bones potent and healthy, and get regular bone density screenings if you're older than 50 or have a family history of osteoporosis.

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Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22241-spiral-fracture