{"id":11013,"date":"2019-08-25T14:53:02","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T14:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=11013"},"modified":"2021-04-26T19:38:58","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T19:38:58","slug":"15-common-causes-of-compound-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-common-causes-of-compound-fracture\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Common Causes of Compound Fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A compound fracture is an injury that causes the bone to break through the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fracture is essentially a broken bone of any kind. This can include a hairline fracture or \u201cgreenstick\u201d fracture, which is just a thin crack, to a complete break where the bone breaks in two. Complete breaks like this can further be categorized as transverse (a straight break across the bone), spiral (a spiral break around the bone due to twisting), or oblique (diagonal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A compound fracture is therefore by definition a full break. This then exposes one sharp end of a long bone (a bone that has two ends and a long body), which in turn can push through the skin if enough additional force is applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compound fractures are serious injuries that present a number of potential complications and risks. Not only is it crucial to stop the bleeding, but you also need to prevent further injury and nerve damage, avoid infection, and treat the shock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many potential causes of a compound fracture. Read below to learn 8 of them that you should be on the lookout for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Fall<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Simply falling can result in a compound fracture<\/a>. This might mean falling on regular concrete, in which case landing at a bad angle can cause the break to be severe enough to push through the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something that not many people realize: that something as simple as tripping on a flat surface can result in serious enough damage to actually result in a compound fracture. Again, this is all about the angle \u2013 if you put your arm out to stop your fall for instance, then you might end up breaking the forearm. Likewise, should you bend a limb backward, or if you should hit your skull, all these things can cause a compound fracture \u2013 or even prove to be fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other types of falls, however, might make a compound fracture more likely. For example, if you should fall from a height then this, of course, will significantly increase your likelihood of compound fracture. Fall off of a stage, a roof, scaffolding, or anything else, and you might risk this type of injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, falling downstairs is another very common cause of the compound fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An impact is any form of blunt force trauma, which can easily cause a compound fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many ways that an impact can occur with or without a fall. For example, if you are to fall and you should hit your head or body on something on the way down \u2013 perhaps on a table or a wall \u2013 then this can easily result in that kind of fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, an impact might mean that something falls on you<\/em>. This could be debris from a building site or a cliffside, or it could be a falling tree branch. Either way, this impact from above can cause trauma of the head, shoulder, back, or limbs. It\u2019s also possible for the trauma <\/a>of this kind to occur due to thrown objects \u2013 which could be intentional or otherwise. Projectiles can also be the result of weapons or even explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Sports<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sports are common causes of many types of injury and are among the most common reasons for compound fractures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sports that commonly cause compound fractures include contact sports such as American football or rugby. However, they can also be caused by other sports such as soccer. Here, a sliding tackle can often go wrong resulting in a compound fracture of the lower leg. Likewise, it\u2019s not uncommon for pile-ups or other types of accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ice skating is actually another common cause of compound fracture, as people are less stable on their feet and the ice can be very hard causing serious collision <\/a>and impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Crushing Injury<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being crushed can similarly cause a compound fracture. If you are being pushed between two objects, or if you are underneath something that falls, this can then cause bones to snap or become dislocated, resulting in a protrusion from the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compression <\/a>is actually another type of fracture. This describes when the bone itself has been crushed, making it flatter and wider in appearance than it should be, and potentially resulting in small chippings breaking away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is also possible for this to cause a compound fracture. This is likely to be the case where the pressure is uneven on two sides of the bone, or where there is torque. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person might be crushed if something such as a vending machine, door, or vehicle should fall on them. Likewise, they can become trapped between doors, or they can be pushed into a wall or another vehicle during a road accident. Crushing can also occur in very crowded spaces such as concerts, or during riots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Fighting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fighting is a common cause of compound fractures. This can take on many forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person might be attacked for instance, in which case they might be subjected to blunt force trauma, projectiles, or other violence that might lead to a compound fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, sport fighting such as martial arts or boxing can also lead to a fracture. Note that fracture is not only caused by the direct impact caused by limbs <\/a>in these cases. While strikes can cause a compound fracture, what is much more likely is that they will be the result of grappling and wrestling moves. Here, the pressure applied to the bones can be enough to distort and even snap them, eventually causing them to protrude through the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even arm wrestling can lead to a compound fracture if one competitor\u2019s arm should break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Osteoporosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Osteoporosis <\/a>is not a direct cause for a compound fracture but is a risk factor and a contributing factor. Osteoporosis is a condition classified by brittle bones that are more prone to breaking. This can make a smaller injury more likely to result in serious damage such as a broken bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have osteoporosis, then you need to be especially careful not to injure your bones. You can try to gradually and gently strengthen them and build them back up by using weight-bearing exercises such as weightlifting. This will help to make you more resilient against that kind of injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many other illnesses can also cause the bones to become more brittle. Another common example is bone cancer, which also causes the bones to become very weak and more likely to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Poor Balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like osteoporosis, poor balance<\/a> is not a direct cause of a compound fracture but is a risk factor that can lead to it. Poor balance is increasingly common as we get older, as is osteoporosis. For this reason, it\u2019s important to be extra careful not to fall as you age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some things you can do to help this, including making sure that the ground is clear and there is nothing that you might trip over on your way to the bathroom for example. Ensure your home is well-lit \u2013 ideally, we should use a combination of data coming in from our eyes, ears, and proprioceptors to balance. An automatic motion-sensor light can help with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid slippery floors, don\u2019t rush, and make sure you can easily call for help if you should fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Collision<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Car accidents are regular causes of compound fractures. If your vehicle should hit another or be hit by another, then this will be enough to cause a significant amount of motion and kinetic energy to be transferred to you. This can then, in turn, result in a whiplash <\/a>effect, causing your head to be thrown forward before \u201cwhipping\u201d back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can cause serious injury on its own, but it also means you are very likely to hit your head on the dashboard or steering wheel, or very likely to get your limbs trapped. Should the vehicle crumple, or should another vehicle break through the body of your car, then this can also result in crushing and impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these things make a compound fracture relatively likely in a vehicular collision. This is why it is so important to always be careful and vigilant when driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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