Fractures occur when bones break due to energy applied to them in excess of what these can sustain. There could be different types of fractures depending on the site and severity of the injury, type of force that acted on bone and involvement of surrounding tissues.
There are multiple ways to list the types of fractures. The classification of fractures not only helps to suggest the severity and mechanics of injury that occurred but also helps to formulate the most suitable treatment.
There are many types of fracture classifications and often more than one for a given region of fracture.
In this article, we would stick to the basic definition of fracture and general classification of fractures that could be applied across all the regions.
Types of Fractures based on Breaking Pattern
Different types of fractures which are based on breaking pattern are
Transverse Fracture
A fracture in which the break is across the bone, at a right angle to the long axis of the bone. The following figure would illustrate.
Oblique Fracture
In this fracture, instead of the break being at the right angle, it goes in an oblique direction to the long axis of the bone. The fracture is confined to one plane. In other words, the bone has broken at an angle.
The following x-ray shows an oblique fracture
Spiral Fracture
This fracture is easily confused with the oblique fracture. Instead of a straight break as in oblique fracture that is only in one plane, the break, in this case, traverses both the planes. To understand this you need to imagine a three-dimensional view of the bone.
If you take a stick and slice it at an angle so that it is divided into two, it is similar to the oblique fracture. But if you twist and break that stick it would result in a broken pattern that would start from one point, move obliquely in one direction, reach the other end and then continue on another side of the stick in a spiral fashion to meet the original point.
The diagram above would give you a rough idea of what I am trying to say. Compare it with the oblique fracture diagram and you would be able to appreciate the difference.
Comminuted Fracture
If the injury results in multiple breaks in the bone, they are visible as different fragments. These kinds of fractures are called comminuted fractures.
Segmental Fracture
It is a type of comminuted fracture only.
The bone is fractured at two distinct levels. The reduction of this fracture is difficult and nonunion common as seen in the following x-ray. Segmental fracture is defined as a comminuted fracture where one fragment retains the complete cortex of the bone.
Impacted Fracture
This is a fracture in which the ends are driven into each other. Cancellous bone is typically involved, and union often occurs rapidly. A torus fracture or buckle fracture is a pediatric impaction fracture in which the cortex of long bone buckles, with no loss of cortices.
Compression Fracture
This occurs in the cancellous bone when an excessive axial load compresses the bone beyond its limits. It typically occurs in the vertebral bodies.
Depressed Fracture
This is a fracture of the cancellous bone caused by a localized force that breaks and depresses one segment below the level of the surrounding bone. These are generally intra-articular fractures and are commonly seen in the knee.
Types of Breaks Based on Displacement of Fragments
Depending on the displacement of fragments, the fracture can be displaced or undisplaced.
If bone fragments stay together maintaining structural alignment of the bone, it is called an undisplaced fracture. A hairline fracture is an example of an undisplaced fracture.
But the fragments of the bone may move from their original position resulting in separation of the fragments. Such a fracture is called a displaced fracture.
Butterfly fragment is a popular term for a wedge-shaped fragment of the bone split from the main fragments,
The following x-ray would show a butterfly fragment
Incomplete and Complete Fractures
These terms indicate the completeness of a fracture.
Incomplete Fractures
An incomplete fracture is one where the fracture has not involved the bony cortex on all sides. Torus fractures and greenstick fractures are examples of incomplete fractures.
Incomplete fractures are often seen in pediatric injuries.
Complete Fractures
A fracture is complete if there is a complete break of cortex on all sides. Depending on the severity of the injury, the fracture may or may not be displaced.
Stable and Unstable Fractures
Unstable Fractures
Rather than the initial displacement, unstable fractures are those fractures that tend to displace after reduction. This stability after reduction is important as it guides the treatment that should be given and the implant that must be chosen.
Stable Fractures
These fractures do not tend to displace after the reduction of the fracture.
Based on Soft Tissue Damage
Complicated Fracture
Complicated fractures are those in which there is significant soft tissue damage to major nearby structures (nerves, vessels, ligaments, and muscles).
Uncomplicated Fractures
There is minimal soft tissue damage.
Here, I must mention that there is always an amount of trauma to the surrounding soft tissue whenever a fracture occurs. The bone cannot break in isolation. The energy is dissipated to the soft tissue as well.
But the fracture becomes complicated only when there is significant trauma to the soft tissue that may alter the course of the treatment or prognosis of the injury.
Types of Fractures based on Articular Involvement
These terms are typically used for fractures that occur near the joints.
Intraarticular fractures are those in which the fracture line extends into the joint space. Extraarticular fractures are those in which the fracture line does not enter the joint space.
Presence of Wounds that Communicate with a Fracture
A fracture that communicates with the external wound is called an open fracture. The fracture thus is not closed any more but is open to the external environment.
In some injuries like pelvic injuries, if an internal visceral wound is present that communicates with the fracture, the fracture is also an open fracture [open from within].
A closed fracture is one in which the skin or other soft tissue envelope overlying the fracture site is intact.
Examples of open fractures are – When a bone fragment from within breaks out through the skin or when some outside force penetrates both the skin and bone.
Open fractures are surgical emergencies, and most require operative treatment.
[Read more on Open Fractures]
Fractures Caused by Insufficient Trauma
Most of the fractures are caused by significant trauma. However, there are types of fractures caused by insignificant trauma. There may be several reasons for this.
Fractures resulting from trivial trauma because the bone is weak, are called insufficient fractures.
Osteoporosis, an age-related loss of bone mineral and microarchitectural change in the bone. As bone weakens, a trivial trauma can result in fractures. A simple fall in old age may result in fractures of the hip region whereas the same injury in young persons will just result in soft tissue injury.
Such fractures that occur in the osteoporotic skeleton are popularly also called osteoporotic fractures.
Pathological fractures occur when a bone is weakened by a disease such as infection, malignancy or lack of nutrition. Spontaneous fractures occur when the bone is so weakened that fracture may occur even by forces of daily use e.g., lifting of hand or simple movements of walking. This generally occurs when the disease is quite advanced.
Stress fractures are a special type of fractures which occur with repetitive exposure of the normal bone to the forces to which it is not accustomed to. An example of this would be sudden jogging for a long distance without training.
A point to note is that bone is otherwise normal in these cases i.e. not weakened by any pathology.
Eponymous Fractures
Fractures are also known by the persons who first described them. These fractures are called eponymous fractures. Though not scientific but it is a common practice to call fractures by these names.
There is a long list of eponymous fractures and these have been discussed in a separate article. Few commonly used fracture eponyms are –
- Barton fracture: Intra-articular distal end radius fracture
- Cotton fracture: Trimalleolar fracture of ankle
- Pott’s fracture: Bimalleolar fracture of ankle
- Jones fracture: Fracture of base of the fifth metatarsal
- Monteggia fracture: Ulna fracture with radial head dislocation
- Galeazzi fracture: radius fracture with lower radioulnar joint disruption
You can read more about eponymous fractures
this was a really helpful website for my homework. It was nice and simple which was handy because i was in a rush!
Thanks Rio for your appreciation.
thought id right to show my appreciation, agreed with rio, really helpful, thanks!
Thanks Iroy.
thank u u made my work easier
@priyanshi,
You are welcome.
Tanx alot Dr. it was very helpful indeed, and wat about open fracture?
@Amal,
Thanks for your appreciation.
You might want to have a look at following article https://boneandspine.com/fractures-dislocations/op…
Hey Dr Arun, thanx. This has really helped me in case i break a bone, thanks a lot, much appreciated :D
@Roberto_K_:D,
You are welcome.
It is not a good idea to think like that. may that never happen.
:-)
i recently fractured the side of my hip as a muscle tore and ripped of a piece of bone, i think the nurse told me it was an expulsion fracture but im not sure as i was out of my head on medication and happy gas. is expulsion fracture correct?
It is called avulsion fracture.
igot the information thanx to u but iwanted to know how to give 1st aid by just usin a cloth
can u reply fast
@som,
In upper limb cloth can be used as sling or to stra arm to the torso.
In lower limb the cloth can be used to tie the injured limb to other limb for splintage.
I hope that helps.
this website and the imformation has realy helped me a lot for my project
THANK YOU
I am 58 years and broke mi humerous 7 months ago. It was an spiroid fracture, a few cm. from the shoulder, at the armpit level. An operation was not possible due to a chronic respiratory deficiency that makes it impossible to receive any kind of anesthesia (local or general). I was put on an “U” cast for 2 months and then doctors took it out for they said union had taken place between the two parts of bone. After some days problems started: I felt the 2 pieces of bone moving, and xray showed they were separated, in what doctors call pseudoarthrosis. Now they are going to put my arm on a brace, but I don’t know how the process will be. Thak you in advance for any comment or advice
@Melina,
From what you have told, it means that you have a non union.
Non unions are generally refractory to conservative measures.
But given your condition of respiratory deficiency, I am not sure if you have much options.
Talk to your doctor.
Thanks you for your oppinion.
Melina
@Melina,
Welcome!
Having established the non union of the humerous bone fragment doctors put a brace bivalve and recommended Magnetic therapy sessions. I would like to know your oppinion.
thank you
Melina
@Melina,
The standard treatment for non union is bone grafting. Nothing else matches the results of this surgery. But each individual is different. I cannot say why have you been chosen for the particular treatment.
knowledge is power
this website really improves ,congratulations.
Strongly recommend the website to student nurses and other health proffessions. was the best, the most outstanding of them all.
if i may ask, a have this assignment question which says, why is it generally important to classify fractures (3 marks) but i managed only to pick one from the website. please help me with two more
@Prince,
1. Enables better communication to describe the type of injury
2. Helps to understand biomeachanics of injury
3. Enables to formulate treatment
4. Tells prognosis
All the points may not be covered by a single classification.
LIKE THIS
I'm not sure I understood the doctor correctly: Elderly patient with fibular fracture, nondisplaced, cleared by physical therapy so "there was no evidence clinically of a s/l myxino fracture." Is there such a fracture?
Thanks so much! I, too, have recommended your site as reference for medical transcriptionists. VERY organized and easy to understand.
Thanks this was nice and handy! I don't mean ti be rude or anything but isnt there a chip fracture also?
@Tara,
Thanks! Yes there is but it is a classification of fractures of long bones. Chip fractures usually occur near joints.
@Dallas Ink,
Maisonneuve fracture is a similar sounding fracture. Jump to: navigation, search
Malleolus
Fibula
The Maisonneuve fracture is a spiral fracture of the proximal third of the fibula with a tear of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.
Otherwise, there is no fracture with same name as you mentioned.
Thanks for your kind encouragement.
This website is really helpful, clear and effective. You might as well recommend on facebook , twitter etc.. I personally think this is the most outsanding, easy to understand and well explained website on this I have seen.
Gime
This is really helpful, i can just copy paste this for my homework :D thnx
@Badkiodrokitinoro,
I think you have already done that. :-)
This was simply amazing.I was in a hurry to complete my homework.at that movement this helped me a lot.I thank all the writers of this page which gives an extraordinary information,which was short and sweet…..
who is most likely to suffer from each fracture (adolescent, adult, male , female ) and why?
@Dr Arun Pal Singh
it habeen really helpfull because i was confusing spiral and oblique
thank you so much for the info.
many thanks for the classifications extremely helpful, im trainee ENP and i will be forwarding your page onto my peers
Thank you. I am glad you found it useful.
hi Dr ARUN i need your valuable advice i m from pakistan i went through a major surgery 6 weeks age i eas involved in a motor bike accident and my left leg had a fracture my leg bone was broken several places so surgeon put plates with screws around broken bone after that i went to the doctor for follow up quiet some time i can;t still put wait on my injured leg i use walker to go to washroom but i sm still going through a tremendous pain all the time specially at night i can’t even sleep because of pain my according to my surgeon i should not experience any pain now but i m going through a lot of pain dr prescribed anly medicine whic is ” NEWGAB a tab of 300 mg at night but it does not help doctor refused to give me strong pain killer or sleeping pills please guide me how long i will experience this pain and will be able tu put wait on my leg and be able to walk without walker one more thing at nifgt when i feel lot of pain my leg where it was operated felt like very hot thanks i m waitng for your kind reply as soon as possible my email address [edited] thanks so much
Tausif,
After the bone is fixed, it should not cause distressing pain. You have not mentioned the fractured bone and type of surgery. Could you please send an xray to contact [at] boneandspine [dot] com and as a reminder leave a comment here. How are you now, otherwise?
I had a head-on car crash at 65 MPH and in trying to stop (no way) I sustained communities, compound fractures of my right tib/fib, closed, which required ORIF and healed nicely. I also sustained trimalleolar fractures on the right which was pinned in surgery. While the fractures were closed, I did have a fracture blister at the site, filled with brownish fluid. My orthopod explained it was abnormal fluid which needed to find a way out, so the blister formed and it later spontaneously popped and did leave a scar. Thought it was interesting. Thank you for your great info.
Melodee,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Yes! In case of closed fractures, sometimes the fluid collection raises internal pressure of the closed space. This leads to swelling and sometimes blisters. One of the theories for the blisters formation is what your orthopod suggested. The body attempts to reduced internal pressure by that.
Keep well and take care.
Oh is so good . It’s like a miracle in my life . Cause only few days are remaining for my school project . My teacher said that it is so better than all projects in my class . He gives +A to my project . Thanks sir for do that work . And there is a recommendation for you , that please add some photographs in it . Thank you .
I didn’t realize that there is sometimes more than one classification for a given area of a fracture. I believe that my wife is dealing with a vertebral fracture, but until she gets medical help, I am unsure what exactly she is dealing with. We will be sure to find a doctor we can go to so that my wife’s fracture can be checked out.