Fracture Healing

Question 1

Factors affecting the healing process.

Answer 1

1. Soft tissue injury
2. Radiation
3. Chemical or thermal burns
4. Infection
5. Anaemia
6. Hypoxia
7. Denervation
8. Excessive compression
9. Age

Question 2

What are the stages of fracture healing? (5)

Answer 2

1. Haemotoma
2. Proliferation
3. Callus formation
4. Consolidation
5. Remodeling

Question 3

What happens at the haemotoma stage?

Answer 3

1. Tearing of blood vessels
2. Local haemorrhage
3. Defect between the bone ends filled with clotted blood.

Question 4

What happens at the inflammatory stage?

Answer 4

1. Acute inflammatory reaction
2. Macrophages invade and begin demolition phagocytosis.
3. Vascular in growth

Question 5

What happens at the granulation stage?

Answer 5

1. Vascular in growth
2. 5 days granulation replaces the blood clot
3. Within the granulation small groups of cartilage cells form a soft bony callus-fracture some stability

Question 6

What happens at the callus stage?

Answer 6

1. Islands of cartilage
2. Fracture ends unite by sleeve of vascular granulation tissue and cartilage.
3. Calcuim deposits into cartilage and new bone is formed

Question 7

What happens at the consooidation phase?

Answer 7

1. Woven bone replaced by lamellar bone

2. Excess bone in the marrow and cavity and subperiosteally.

Question 8

What are some of the types of fractures?

Answer 8

1. Green stick
2. Transverse
3. Spiral
4. Oblique
5. Compression
6. Comminuted
7. Segmental

Question 9

What do physiotherapist do for fracture healing?

Answer 9

1. Promote healing
2. Encourage weight bearing
3. Maintain strength of weakened muscles
4. Maintain ROM of affected and surrounding joints.
5. Reduce pain
6. Reduce swelling