Avulsion Fracture - Symptoms, Risk factors and Treatment

An avulsion fracture is a condition when the bone breaks in such a way that its chunk pulls the ligament or tendon. Tendon connects muscles to bones, while ligaments connect bones to other bones. 

Bone fracture is a condition in which the continuity of your bone is disrupted, mostly due to high impact force or stress. It occurs when a bone is broken either into two pieces or more. However, a fracture can also occur due to medical conditions like malignancies and infections. A fracture takes a long time to recover and heal and is a painful condition. 

The healthcare providers usually prescribe over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen to get rid of pain due to it. Moreover, they immobilize the fractured bone, which means you can no longer move it. This technique helps in the right and early healing of the fractured bone. If left untreated or mobilized, a fracture can cause abnormality in bone healing and repair. Therefore, you must follow the advice of your doctor completely. However, sometimes you may also need to get the surgery done for proper healing and recovery of your fractured bone. 

Avulsion Fracture Causes

In most cases, a fracture occurs due to high impact shock or stress that occurs to the body like motor vehicle accidents, falling, and much more. However, at times it may also occur due to various reasons like;

• Brittle bone disease, also known as osteogenesis imperfecta

• Osteoporosis 

• Infections 

• Chronic steroid use

• Malignancies especially multiple myeloma or other tumors of the bone

• Overuse injuries that occur in athletes due to overuse of a particular bone in a repetitive action

Avulsion Fracture Symptoms 

The symptoms of bone fracture differ according to the bone fracture. Bones have a high blood supply, therefore, they may bleed when they break, causing your skin to change its color to purple. Also, internal bleeding causes intense swelling associated with a bone fracture. However, at times you may be able to move the injured bone because the ligaments are not damaged. Therefore, having the ability to move your limb does not mean you do not have a fracture. The general features of a fracture can be;

• Difficulty using the limb

• Noticeable bend or twist in the limb

• Unusual bump in the limb

• Severe pain that is continuous and does not go away

• Swelling of the limb 

Avulsion Fracture Treatment 

The healthcare providers usually prescribe over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen to get rid of pain due to it. Moreover, they immobilize the fractured bone, which means you can no longer move it. This technique helps in the right and early healing of the fractured bone. If left untreated or mobilized, a fracture can cause abnormality in bone healing. Therefore you must follow the advice of your doctor completely. However, sometimes you may also need to get the surgery done for proper healing and recovery of your fractured bone. 

Conclusion 

Bone fracture is a condition in which the continuity of your bone is disrupted mostly due to high impact force or stress. It occurs when a bone is broken either into two pieces or more. However, a fracture can also occur due to medical conditions like malignancies and infections. A fracture takes a long time to recover and heal and is a painful condition.