Can a Fracture Heal On Its Own?
Our bones have limited flexibility. They can handle pressure only to a certain extent. When exposed to a significant force, they might fracture. While it’s obvious that a severe fracture requires an immediate visit to the orthopedic hospital in Navi Mumbai, people often wonder if mild fractures can heal on their own.
Fractures can often be healed with home remedies. However, this applies only to certain types of fractures. Let’s discuss it in detail:
a) Types of Fractures
A bone fracture is when your bone breaks partially or completely. It may vary in severity, depending on how forcefully your bone got hit. Here is the classification of bone fractures:
i) Simple Vs. Compound Fractures:
In a simple fracture, your bone cracks but does not break through the skin. The fracture isn’t severe enough to cause a deep wound. A compound fracture punctures your skin.
ii) Stable Vs. Unstable Fractures:
In a stable fracture, the broken parts of the bone do not get misaligned, while an unstable fracture causes the misalignment and the risk of further damage to the nearby ligaments.
It’s obvious that compound and unstable fractures require medical attention, while the simple fractures that do not cause any dislocation or skin wound can heal on their own.
b) Natural Healing Process
The timeline for recovery from a bone fracture may vary from person to person. A simple wrist or hand fracture might heal in 6 weeks, but the broken tibia can take up to 20 weeks to heal completely. Here’s the breakdown of the recovery phases:
c) Inflammation
Your body’s inflammatory response activates as soon as you have sustained a bone fracture. Due to the damage to the tissues and blood vessels, bleeding starts and the blood pools around the broken ends of the bone. This blood thickens and turns into a clot.
The dead cells die and are cleaned up from the site. During this phase, you will notice swelling and sharp pain. These are the signs that you are in the inflammatory phase of healing. It lasts 1-2 weeks.
d) Repair Phase
Once the dead cells are removed, your body will work hard to rebuild the new structure. It builds new cells, cartilage, and fibrous tissues. They all form a fracture callus, a soft patch where calcium deposits. It becomes harder to form a new, stabilized bone.
e) Remodeling
At this point, the fracture callus hardens, and the new bone starts forming. The progress is visible on an X-ray. You won’t feel the pain, swelling, and inflammation like before. However, the remodelling might go on for several months.
When Medical Intervention is Necessary
Unfortunately, not all fractures have a simple healing process. Here’s when you need to see a doctor for bone fracture treatment in Navi Mumbai:
- The bone has shattered into multiple pieces and has wounded your skin
- You have diabetes or other medical issues.
- The X-ray shows bone dislocation
Ideally, it’s best to consult a doctor to know whether the fracture is severe enough to require medical attention. Based on your symptoms and reports, you may need a cast, brace, or surgical treatment.