Many athletes will experience fractures during their athletic years. A fracture is a break in a bone. There are many types of fractures and athletes will, certainly, want to consult with a doctor before doing anything to repair the fracture.
One type of fracture is a closed one, where the overlying skin is not broken. In an open fracture, the broken bone actually pierces the skin. Other types of fractures include transverse fractures, oblique fractures, spiral ones, comminuted fractures and avulsion fractures.
Athletes who experience a fracture will have pain, tenderness, bruising, swelling and restriction of movement. Doctors repair fractures by resetting them and giving the fracture time to heal. There are more risks of complications with open or displaced fractures since there is risk of infection. Patients will often be treated with antibiotics in this type of situation. It’s also important to pay attention to soft tissue damage to nearby muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels.
