There is an old adage that states you can't break the same bone twice because the bone grows back stronger than before. Unfortunately, this is a myth. There is still a chance you can fracture it again in the same place in the future. The odds are no higher or lower.
Yes, an old injury can definitely cause problems years down the road. When old injuries are not properly cared for initially, your body begins to overcompensate in other areas. Over time, this strains your skeletal and muscular system, leading to issues that arise even ten or more years after the first injury.
Some people may continue to experience pain long after the fracture and soft tissues have finished healing. This is what we call chronic pain. Chronic pain may be caused by nerve damage, the development of scar tissue, aggravation of underlying arthritis, or other causes.
Despite one misconception, there is no evidence that a bone that breaks will heal to be stronger than it was before. When a bone fractures, it begins the healing process by forming a callus at the fracture site, where calcium is deposited to aid rebuilding, said Dr. Terry D.
Chronic Pain – After Healing Is Complete
However, some people may continue to experience pain long after the fracture and soft tissues have healed. Full healing from a fracture can take anywhere from several weeks to several months and occasionally even several years.
Orthopedic injuries cause tension in the nervous system, and the nerves become super sensitive. A drop in temperature acts as a stimulus, and the body responds to create a balance. Due to increased sensitivity, the nerves may react quickly to weather, causing pain in those old injuries.
A broken bone may lead to widespread body pain – not just at the site of the fracture. Breaking a major bone may increase risk of widespread chronic body pain in later life, a new study has found.
If you have a comminuted fracture, you'll have a longer road to recovery than people who get other types of broken bones. It might take up to a year to heal, especially if you have other injuries from your original trauma.
Compound fractures are the most serious type of break and can take a long time to heal. If they're exceedingly complex, they may even require physiotherapy, surgery. or skin grafts to repair the bone's surrounding tissue.
Broken bones usually heal and get strong again, but not always. When broken bones don't heal back together it is call non-union, and that can cause a lot of problems.
When a bone fracture is untreated, it can result in either a nonunion or a delayed union. In the former case, the bone doesn't heal at all, which means that it will remain broken. As a result, swelling, tenderness, and pain will continue to worsen over time.
Some people assume that fractured bones are more serious than broken bones, while others assume it's the other way around. But the truth is that these terms are used interchangeably, and they have the same meaning to medical professionals.
In general, any type of fracture can become worse if it isn't treated quickly and correctly. It's true that bones often heal remarkably well, but if they aren't set correctly and immobilized in most cases, they can cause pain and swelling for much longer than they should.
Having had a previous break won't protect you from breaking the same bone again, if you happen to experience trauma to the same body part. Once your broken bone heals fully, it should be just as strong as the rest of your bones, so you won't be more or less likely to break it than another bone.
Geriatric fracture is a term used to describe a bone break that occurs in an older patient. These types of fractures most often occur in the hip and are much more common in women. In fact, nearly 50% of women and almost one third of men over the age of 65 will suffer a major osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.
Fractures that extend into a joint can cause arthritis years later. If your foot starts to hurt long after a break, see your doctor for an evaluation. Bone infection (osteomyelitis).
The weakest and softest bone in the human is the clavicle or collar bone. Because it is a tiny bone which runs horizontally across your breastbone & collarbone, it is simple to shatter.
Your thighbone (femur) is the longest and strongest bone in your body. Because the femur is so strong, it usually takes a lot of force to break it. Motor vehicle collisions, for example, are the number one cause of femur fractures. The long, straight part of the femur is called the femoral shaft.
This is called a malunited fracture. A nonunion, delayed union, or malunited fracture may occur in any bone, but these conditions are most common in the humerus, or upper arm, and the tibia, or lower leg.
A bone generally reaches 80-90% of its original strength in 3 to 6 months, but doesn't complete remodeling and get to 100% strength for about a year. During the reparative or second phase of bone healing, a callus forms at the site of the break.
Bone generally takes six to 12 weeks to heal to a significant degree. In general, children's bones heal faster than those of adults.
Depending on the severity of the fracture and the way it has impacted your life, you may experience a range of psychological conditions. These can include depression, anxiety, stress and nightmares.
Post-traumatic arthritis is a type of osteoarthritis that's caused by an injury like a bone fracture or dislocation. The damage from the injury creates arthritis quickly in the affected joint.
“People with arthritis, broken bones and other inflammatory conditions do say they experience more soreness in colder weather,” said Dr. Brad Homan, orthopedic surgeon and president of Celebration Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Institute.