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Fractures

Fractures services offered in Jacksonville and Middleburg, FL


Fractures always require immediate medical care, not just to ease your pain but also to make sure the bones heal correctly. Our experienced team at Integrity Spine & Orthopedics has years of experience treating fractures, from casting and surgery to supporting you through physical therapy and managing your recovery. If you have signs of a fracture, request an appointment right away. Call our office in Jacksonville, Florida, or book an appointment online today.

Fractures Q & A

What causes fractures?

A fracture (broken bone) can be caused by:

Trauma

Since it takes substantial force to break a strong, healthy bone, fractures often happen due to trauma like a fall, sports injury, or automobile accident.

Stress

When you engage in intensive or repetitive activities, your muscles become fatigued. Tired muscles allow more stress to reach your bones. Over time, the excessive stress cracks the bone, resulting in a stress fracture.

Fragile or brittle bones

Osteoporosis causes weak, brittle bones that can break with very little force, like coughing or twisting. This is called a fragility fracture.

Another fracture caused by osteoporosis, a vertebral compression fracture, happens when the vertebrae collapse because they’re too weak to support your body weight or movement.

What symptoms do fractures cause?

Fractures cause:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Limited mobility
  • Inability to use the affected area

You could also have a visible deformity if the bone pieces misalign.

What kinds of fractures are there?

Bones can break in various ways, depending on the cause of the fracture and the amount of force placed on the bone. Here are a few examples:

  • Complete fracture (the bone breaks into two pieces)
  • Partial fracture (a crack, not a complete break)
  • Comminuted fracture (the bone breaks into several pieces)
  • Spiral fracture (the fracture is in a curled pattern)
  • Open fracture (the bone breaks through the skin)

An open fracture can lead to an infection as the wound allows bacteria and debris to get under your skin.

How are fractures treated?

At Integrity Spine & Orthopedics, our team provides complete treatment for all types of fractures, including:

Immobilization

Your bones must stay in their proper positions to heal correctly. Your provider immobilizes the fracture with a cast or brace to keep the bones aligned.

Bone realignment

If your fracture pushes the bones out of place or the bone breaks in several places, our team realigns them and inserts screws, rods, plates, or other hardware to hold them in place while they heal. In some cases, this requires open reduction/internal fixation (ORIF) surgery.

Surgery for an open fracture

An open fracture needs immediate surgery to clean the wound and repair the break.

Physical therapy

After the bones heal, you need physical therapy to restore muscle strength, regain movement and flexibility, and rehabilitate your body.

Call Integrity Spine & Orthopedics or book an appointment online today if you have symptoms of a fracture.