The Fracture Healing Process

Don fractured his leg in a Manassas, Virginia car accident on I-66. His orthopedic surgeon advised him that fractures heal in three steps. These steps are reduction, immobilization and time.

"Reduction" is a procedure physicians use to return a broken bone to its correct position. The bone pieces are put back in place -- realigned. The bone fragments are placed in contact with each other or very close to one another. This results in the formation of a bridge which holds the broken ends of the bones together. This bridge is called a "callus." At first, the callus is soft and rubbery, but within 40 days it becomes hard and allows the patient more movement.

Physicians use two types of reduction methods to treat broken bone injuries. One is called "closed reduction" where a physician uses his hands to manipulate the bone fragments under the skin to come together. The second method to treat bone fractures is reserved for complicated fractures where closed manipulation will not work. In this situation, open reduction is required where the surgeon must realign the bone fragments surgically.

The second step in bone fracture healing involves immobilization where the realigned pieces of bones are held together so they cannot move allowing for hard "callus" formation. Early movement can disrupt the callus which bridges the broken bones. In closed reduction, immobilization is accomplished with a cast. In open surgical reduction cases, immobilization is accomplished using metal plates, screws and rods.

Once put back together and immobilized, a broken bone injury will heal itself with the passage of time. Three stages are involved in the bone fracture healing process: (1) the inflammatory stage; (2) the repair stage; and (3) the remodeling stage.

Manassas and Woodbridge Bone Fracture Lawyer Gerald Schwartz has represented the victims of broken bone injuries from car, truck and motorcycle accidents all over Prince William County. Bone Fracture attorney Gerald Schwartz has convenient locations in Manassas at 8713 Plantation Lane, Manassas, Virginia 20110; and Woodbridge at 1712 Financial Loop, Woodbridge, Virginia 22192.

Woodbridge personal injury attorney Gerald Schwartz has handled almost every type of bone fracture case with 30 years of bone fracture injury experience. He has been consistently selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers (only 5% of lawyers are selected) from 2007 to the present.

For a free broken bone injury consultation, please call Manassas accident lawyer Gerald Schwartz at (703) 690-0055.