Bouncing Back from a Broken Bone
Physical therapy for broken bones
Broken Bones 101-
Fractures, more commonly known as broken bones, can occur in any bone in the body. We most commonly associate fractures with accidental injuries such as a fall or car crash but bone fractures can occur in response to an underlying disease process or to repetitive stress on the bone. While all fractures require some level of medical care, physical therapists are an important member of the care team when it comes to fracture healing and recovery. Read on to learn more about bone fractures and what role physical therapy has in helping you recover.
HOW ARE FRACTURES DIAGNOSED?
With few exceptions, bone fractures are painful and hard to ignore but you might be surprised to learn that fractures can sometimes be mistaken for sprains, strains or soft tissue injuries. Given that the treatment plan for fractures typically involves immobilization, offloading and sometimes surgery in order to allow bone healing, early and proper identification is imperative. So, what signs and symptoms might you experience if you have a fracture? Let’s take a look:
Deformities of the bone (the area looks misshapen, the bone looks out of place or looks different than before the injury)
Pain (ranging from moderate to severe) both at rest and with movement
Difficulty or inability to move the affected area
Pain with or inability to bear weight through the area
Localized swelling
Bruising
Pain with palpation (touching) of the area
X-rays and MRI are typically used to confirm or rule out a bone fracture and guide the proper course of treatment. In order to minimize stress across the fracture site and allow the bone to begin repairing the break and then refortifying the area, immobilization and a period of reduced or non-weight bearing is often recommended. In many cases, by following your doctor’s recommendations the fracture will heal in 6-8 weeks though there are instances where that healing time may be longer. In some cases your doctor may recommend surgery to stabilize the bone fragments with pins or rods if they believe the bones will not heal adequately on their own.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FRACTURES?
While all fractures represent a disruption in the structure of the bone, there are several different categories and types of fracture which determine the course of treatment.
Traumatic fractures: Traumatic fractures occur in response to a sudden and traumatic force that exceeds the tolerance of the bone causing it to break. Examples of traumatic fractures include a skull fracture that occurs when a rollerblader hits their head during a fall, a broken ankle that occurs when accidentally misstepping on a root and a broken toe that results from dropping a weight on the foot. Traumatic fractures can occur in any bone that experiences a sudden excessive force. Sometimes the fracture causes the segments of bone to become misaligned or displaced while other times the bony alignment is preserved.
Nontraumatic (pathologic) fractures: As the name implies, these fractures occur in the absence of a large, traumatic force but instead they occur in response to an everyday activity. Typically a nontraumatic fracture is due to an underlying disease that weakens the bone. Common causes of pathologic fractures include bony tumors, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and Paget’s Disease (a condition that causes abnormal renewal and repair of bone).
Stress fractures: Stress fractures, also known as bone stress injuries (BSI) are considered overuse injuries as they occur as a result of repetitive stress to a bone without sufficient healing in between. When the skeletal system fails to tolerate the repetitive loading of the bone, BSI occurs. BSI are graded from 1-4. Grade 1 is an early stress reaction wherein signs of bone stress can be seen on imaging but symptoms may be absent. If the repetitive stress continues, this progresses to greater changes in signal intensity on imaging, the development of microfractures, a fracture line and eventually a full fracture of the bone (Grade 4).
Most common in runners, athletes, and military personnel, stress fractures typically occur in weight bearing bones of the legs. The femur or thigh bone, the sacrum of the pelvis, the lower leg or tibia and the bones of the foot are all susceptible to BSI. During the early stages of a BSI the person may experience an aching pain in the area of BSI with activity that improves with rest. As the BSI worsens, localized pain increases with activity and persists even at rest. Weight bearing on the limb becomes uncomfortable. There may be an area of swelling and even tenderness to palpation (if the area can be palpated) of the area over the BSI.
WHEN SHOULD I SEE MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST?
After the fracture has been properly diagnosed and your doctor has determined a course of medical treatment, physical therapy may begin right away. If you are recovering from surgery to stabilize the fracture then treatment on the involved area may begin shortly after. If you are currently restricted from using the injured body part, in a cast or boot or have weight bearing restrictions, there is still a lot PT can offer in the early phase of healing that will make long-term recovery easier. In the beginning, your PT may spend time teaching you how to use crutches or a walker and how to safely perform daily tasks in spite of your injury. They may also prescribe some exercises for you to perform with uninvolved areas of the body to prevent loss of strength and fitness.
As the fracture heals, you will begin to perform exercises with the involved limb or area. Physical therapy will address pain, weakness, stiffness or changes in gait that may have developed due to the fracture and its treatment. When appropriate you will begin to incorporate that limb into more functional and eventually dynamic and higher intensity activities so that the previously injured area is ready to take on the demands of everyday life once again.
If you have recently broken a bone, with the help of our skilled PTs you can feel confident you are doing everything possible to support your body’s healing process and facilitate long-term recovery. Call us today to learn more about our services and schedule an evaluation: 1-718-258-3300
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About EvolveNY-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics-
There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
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