comminuted fracture
Quick Summary
A comminuted fracture is a type of bone fracture where the broken bone shatters into multiple pieces. This is a severe injury that can occur due to significant stress or trauma.1
Types of Fractures
- Simple (Closed) Fracture: The skin remains unbroken.
- Compound (Open) Fracture: The bone is exposed to the air through a break in the skin.
- Pathological Fracture: Occurs in bones weakened by disease, like cancer spread or osteoporosis.
- Complete Fracture: The bone breaks into separate pieces.
- Incomplete Fracture: The bone cracks and bends but doesn't break entirely.
- Impacted Fracture: Broken bone ends are jammed together.
- Comminuted Fracture: The bone shatters into many pieces.
- Transverse Fracture: A break perpendicular to the bone's axis.
- Oblique Fracture: A break crossing the bone axis at an angle.
- Spiral Fracture: A helical break, often from twisting.
Symptoms include pain, tenderness, grating sensations, and inability to use the affected part. Healing involves new tissue forming across the break, which is initially soft and later hardens. Complications can include failure to heal, healing in a poor position, or loss of function. Fractures in joints are particularly serious, potentially leading to stiffness and pain.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
