What is a comminuted wrist fracture?
A comminuted fracture is a break or splinter of the bone into more than two fragments. Compound. A compound fracture breaks the skin and will require a physician to repair close the wound. A compound fracture raises the risk of infection.
How long does it take for a distal radius fracture to heal?
In case of severe trauma, like that caused by a motorcycle crash, some residual stiffness can remain for about 2 years or even permanently. Full distal radius fracture recovery generally takes about a year.
Does a distal radius fracture require surgery?
When a distal radius fracture is complex or unstable, it will most likely require a surgical approach to ensure the fracture stays in place during the healing process.
How is a comminuted fracture treated?
How Are Comminuted Fractures Treated? Someone with a comminuted fracture will probably need surgery. Then, he or she will need to wear a splint or cast for a while to keep the bone from moving while it heals.
What happens when you get a comminuted fracture?
If you have a comminuted fracture your bone is broken in two or more places. Usually, the trauma that causes comminuted fractures creates shatter-like breaks. If you’ve dropped a plate, the pieces are never uniformly broken. It’s the same with most comminuted fractures.
Do all comminuted fractures require surgery?
You might need to have surgery if you have a comminuted fracture. This will help put your broken bones back into place. Sometimes your doctor will use metal rods or pins, called internal or external fixation, to hold your bone fragments together while they heal. These might go inside or outside of your body.
Is a distal radius fracture serious?
In severe cases, the fractured bone is so much out of place that it can’t be corrected or realigned without making a surgical incision. An open wrist fracture will require surgical treatment as soon as possible. Surgical treatment methods can possibly affect the future use of the forearm or wrist.
What is a closed fracture of distal end of radius?
When the radius breaks near the wrist, it is called a distal radius fracture. The break usually happens due to falling on an outstretched or flexed hand. It can also happen in a car accident, a bike accident, a skiing accident or another sports activity.
How serious is a comminuted fracture?
They are very serious in large bones, and you will often need surgery to repair your bones. Sometimes, comminuted fractures happen to smaller bones and can heal without surgery. How long it takes to recover depends on which of your bones are fractured and what caused the breaks.
How long does it take to recover from a comminuted fracture?
Healing can take several months in severely comminuted and open tibia fractures (4) (Fig. 39-11), and pin loosening is likely to occur during such long healing times if simple frames are used.