Fracture
A fracture is a break in a solid item that causes discontinuity without the substance actually separating into two or more pieces. (If the substance separated into pieces, the event would likely be called breaking or shattering.)
The word fracture is most often applied to bones of living creatures, or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal. Depending on the substance which is fractured, a fracture reduces strength (most substances) or inhibits transmission of light (optical crystals).
A fractured bone in a living person is treated by immobilization with a plaster or fiberglass cast, and in some cases surgical screws, plates and wires to supplement a cast. Operative methods of treating fractures have their own risks and benefits and should be carefully considered before embarking on the intervention.
In the medical world, fractures are classified into several categories - closed or open, simple or compound. Closed fractures are fractures where the skin is intact and there is no bone poking out while open fractures involve wounds that expose bone. Simple fractures are fractures that occur along one line, splitting the bone into two pieces while compound fractures involve the bone splitting into multiple pieces. A simple, closed fracture is much easier to handle and has a much better prognosis than a open, compound fracture.
See also: fibrocartilage callus
Referenced By
Acronym/Medical List | Astrophyllite | Augite | Carpal Tunnel syndrome | Carpal tunnel | Graphite | Hackmanite | Hippocrates | Hippocratic corpus | Hippokrates of Kos | List of medical abbreviations | List of medical acronyms | List of skiing-related topics | Skiing | Sodalite
|
