The word comminuted means to be reduced to minute particles or fragments. A comminuted fracture is one of the worst fractures that you can sustain. It is hard enough to break a bone into two pieces, nevermind having to put together a bone broken into several. If you or someone suspects such a fracture or any fracture you should seek medical attention right away.
What is a Comminuted Fracture?
When a bone is fractured into more than two pieces it is called a comminuted fracture. A comminuted fracture will only occur under intense amounts of pressure. These fractures can be either open or closed fractures. With open fractures, there is the chance of infection since the body is exposed to external elements.
How Does a Comminuted Fracture Occur?
- Accidents
- Gun Shots
- Falling
- Age
- Bone Disease
- Sports
- Outdoor activities
How to Treat a Comminuted Fracture
It is imperative that you get these fractures treated correctly. Not having this treatment taken care of properly can result in mobility issues and other health problems. The most important aspect of treating a comminuted fracture is to put the pieces of bone back together so that they can heal properly.
A doctor may use an X-ray or a CT scan to understand exactly how severe the fracture is. The next step is having surgery to put all of the pieces back together. The surgery usually consists of an open reduction using surgical nails, wires, plates, and screws. After the surgery, the area must be immobilized using a cast to promote healing and prevent use. This process is much more complicated for spinal injuries. Cement injections into vertebrae may occur for support of comminuted fracture.
Painkillers may be given afterward to help manage the pain of the injury and surgery. If any infections have taken place, then a doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Regular check-ups will be scheduled to make sure that the bone is healing right and that there are no spreading infections.
The Most Important Step to Return to Your Life
After surgery and comminuted fracture so severe, rehab is 100% essential to returning to a healthy life. Muscles atrophy when in a cast meaning that they get much smaller from not being used. The goal is not to get back to where you were before but to be stronger to prevent other issues. Rehab can be much harder than the injury itself.
If you are an athlete, the rehab is even more critical because you need to be able to play sports again with confidence of not getting hurt again. Since the body demands more when you are an athlete the rehab should take a bit longer and be more intense.
Finding The Best Healthcare Providers
The challenge is finding an excellent healthcare provider to help with the comminuted fracture. You only want to work with the best because anything less can lead to a lot of issues down the road. People wish the best for their kids, and you should want the best for your health. The challenge is how do you go about finding the best?
9INE POINT Health is a great place to start for whatever stage you are in the recovery process. 9INE POINT Health lets you find the best healthcare providers based on the type of provider you want to work with and the skill set you want them to have. Let’s say for your rehab you want a physical therapist that also is trained in active release technique and fascial stretch therapy. 9INE POINT Health will show you the best local options with their respective 9INE POINT Numbers so you can compare them.
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
