Fracture's

Question 1

Avulsion (fx)

Answer 1

Injury to the bone in a location where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone.

Question 2

Bennett’s (fx)

Answer 2

Fracture of the base of the first metacarpal. Can compromise the articulation between the trapezium and the first metacarpal which is the primary articulation of the thumb.

Question 3

Bimalleolar (fx)

Answer 3

Fracture of the ankle that involves both the lateral and medial malleolus.

Question 4

Blow-out (fx)

Answer 4

Fracture of the orbital floor, caused by a direct blow to the orbit, best demonstrated with the modified Waters method.

Question 5

Boxer’s (fx)

Answer 5

Fracture of the neck of a metacarpal. Often caused by an impact to the knuckles.

Question 6

Closed (fx)

Answer 6

Fractured bone that does not penetrate the skin.

Question 7

Colle’s (fx)

Answer 7

Fracture of the distal radius with dorsal dislocation of the radioulnar articulation. Often caused by a fall with the hand pronated. Dinner fork deformity of the distal forearm.

Question 8

Comminuted (fx)

Answer 8

Break or splinter of the bone into more than two fragments. Generally caused by high-impact trauma.

Question 9

Complete (fx)

Answer 9

Fracture that causes the bones to separate in to two or more pieces

Question 10

Compound (fx)

Answer 10

Fracture that protrudes through the skin resulting in an external wound

Question 11

Compression (fx)

Answer 11

Compression of a vertebral bone that has decreased at least 15 to 20% in height due to a fracture.

Question 12

Contrecoup

Answer 12

A contusion resulting from the brain contacting the skull on the side opposite from where impact occurs.

Question 13

Depressed (fx)

Answer 13

Skull fracture resulting form blunt force trauma. The fracture is often star-shaped with multiple fracture lines radiation outward. The broken bones displace inward.

Question 14

Displaced (fx)

Answer 14

This term refers to the alignment of the fractured bone. The two ends of the broken bone are not lined up straight.

Question 15

Greenstick (fx)

Answer 15

A fracture in a young and soft bone, the bone bends until it cracks, instead of breaking completely into separate pieces. The fracture looks like what happens when you try to break a small green branch on a tree

Question 16

Hangman’s (fx)

Answer 16

Fracture of the axis (C2). Often seen with people who try to hang themselves but can also occur in sports or traffic accidents. It is caused by an extreme force in the upper vertebrae and especially the dens of the axis. This fracture can lead to spinal cord damage which can lead to paralysis.

Question 17

Impacted (fx)

Answer 17

Fracture that occurs when the broken ends of the bone are jammed together by the force of the injury.

Question 18

Incomplete (fx)

Answer 18

Like a Greenstick fracture. The bone bends and cracks but does not completely break.

Question 19

Intertrochanteric (fx)

Answer 19

Fracture of the proximal femur, specifically a fracture between the trochanters of the femur.

Question 20

Linear (fx)

Answer 20

Skull fracture that transverses the full thickness of the skull from the outer to inner table. Usually caused by blunt force trauma where the impact energy is transferred over a wide area of the skull

Question 21

Longitudinal (fx)

Answer 21

Fractures that occur along (or nearly along) the axis of the bone.

Question 22

March (fx)

Answer 22

Fracture of the distal third of one of the metatarsals occurring because of recurrent stress

Question 23

Monteggia (fx)

Answer 23

Fracture of the proximal third of the ulna with dislocation of the proximal head of the radius.

Question 24

Oblique (fx)

Answer 24

Diagonal fracture in the bone.

Question 25

Open (fx)

Answer 25

Fracture that causes a break in the skin.

Question 26

Pathological (fx)

Answer 26

Fracture caused by a disease that led to weakness of the bone structure.

Question 27

Salter-Harris (fx)

Answer 27

Fracture of the growth plate.

Question 28

Simple (fx)

Answer 28

Fracture that does not cause damage to the surrounding tissues or breaking of the skin.

Question 29

Smith’s (fx)

Answer 29

Reverse Colle’s fracture. Fracture of the distal radius caused by a direct blow to the dorsal forearm or falling onto flexed wrist.

Question 30

Spiral (fx)

Answer 30

Torsion fracture, due to rotational or twisting force.

Question 31

Supracondylar (fx)

Answer 31

Fracture of the distal humerus just above the elbow joint.

Question 32

Transverse (fx)

Answer 32

Transverse fracture of a bone. The break is at a right angle to the long plane of the bone

Question 33

Trimalleolar (fx)

Answer 33

Fracture of the ankle that involves the lateral malleolus, the medial malleolus, and the distal posterior aspect of the tibia (which can count as the posterior malleolus).

Question 34

Undisplaced (fx)

Answer 34

Fractured bone that maintains its proper alignment.