How do bones break?

How do bones break?

Bones usually have no problem supporting your body weight as you participate in daily
activities. Bones are made to be strong, yet flexible enough to absorb the light impact your
body experiences during activities of daily living. Sometimes, a bone is put under more stress than it can handle, and it breaks. Doctors call broken bones, a fracture.

The most commonly broken bones in the body are the clavicle, arm, wrist, hip, and ankle.
Bones in the shoulder area are more likely to be broken because we use our arms and hands the most when trying to break a fall. The clavicle, also known as the collarbone, located between your shoulder and the front of the neck, is the bone that is most likely to get broken.
The clavicles absorb the shock when you outstretch your arm to break a fall.
There are three main types of fractures: impact fractures, stress fractures, and pathological fractures.

Impact Fractures
Impact fractures happen when a bone takes an unforeseen, hard hit that puts more stress on it than it can handle. These usually occur due to a sudden impact, which causes the bone to snap. I sustained this type of fracture when I was pushed off a flight of concrete stairs. As I landed the weight of my 205-pound body was too much for my left lower leg to support, so it shattered into 30 pieces. Most impact fractures are caused by falls, being hit by something or someone, during sports, or an accident.

Stress Fractures
Stress fractures are some of the most common sports injuries. They’re a type of repetitive
stress injury that occurs when too much pressure is placed on the same spot of a bone over long periods. The pressure from the small impacts weakens the bone until it begins to crack. These cracks start very small and get bigger and bigger if they are not given a chance to heal. To get stronger and faster, an athlete may overwork their body by repeating the same exercise over and over to become better at it and build larger muscles. When the body is tired, your muscles will no longer absorb the shock from the activity as they usually would. Instead, the shock goes straight to the bone causing stress fractures.
Activities such as running or basketball that require running and jumping increase the
chances of causing a stress fracture in the legs or feet. The long thin bones on the top of the foot and the heel bone are the ones most likely to fracture. Stress fractures can be painful but will heal on their own if rested for a few months. The tibia bone of our lower leg is the most common bone to fracture at 24%. Any sport that requires repetitive movements, like pitching or rowing, can also cause stress fractures in the humerus located in the upper arm.

Pathological Fractures
Some diseases like cancer or osteoporosis can make bones thinner and more fragile. These
diseases make it more difficult for bones to absorb the nutrients they need to stay strong and flexible. They cause the bones to start breaking during regular everyday activities that would not usually cause a fracture in a healthy person.

Types of Fractures
Fractures are further sub-classified by their complexity, location, and the shape of the break. The table below shows the common types of fractures. Some fractures can be described using more than one name, because it may have the features of more than one kind of broken bone.
For example; open comminuted fracture.

 



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