There is no difference at all between a broken bone and a fracture. A fracture is not a kind of break or a different degree of breakage. To break a bone is exactly the same thing as to fracture a bone.
Sometimes, a snapping sound can be heard when a bone is broken. If the person cannot move the body part and is experiencing a lot of pain, a bone may be fractured. In some cases, the part may still be able to be moved, but it will probably move abnormally.
An open break means that the bone is sticking out through the skin and the body is bleeding in response. The bleeding should be stopped without putting any pressure on the bone. Those with a broken bone in the neck or back should not be moved, as it could cause further damage.
A broken arm or leg may be put into a cast to help it heal. The cast must be kept clean and dry, or it could cause problems for the body part underneath. Medical experts often recommend raising the injured limb in the cast up when resting it to help keep it from swelling.
Sometimes, an orthopedic surgeon will perform surgery on the broken bone before putting it in a cast. Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) is a surgical procedure that often uses screws and plates system to help keep the bone in place as it heals. An object called an intramedullary rod (IM rod) is sometimes used instead of the screws and plates. ORIF is also called open treatment.
A sprain and a strain are different from a fracture, because they involve damage to the ligament or muscle, not the bone. Ligaments bind the bones together, and a sprain is the name for when the ligament is stretched too far or torn. A strain is when the fibers in a muscle or tendon — which attaches muscle to bone — are torn. Signs for both strains and sprains include bruising, swelling, and pain, and this type of injury should be examined by a medical professional.
