Incomplete Fractures
August 24th, 2017
Overview
Incomplete fractures (fissures, torus and greenstick fractures) are breaks that do not pass through the entirety of a bone. They may be associated with bending of a long bone.
Significance
- Children's bones are softer and more flexible than adults', and therefore are more prone to bending and incomplete fractures. If the force applied on the bone is greater than the mechanical strength of the bone then it will remain bent.
Interpretation
- Bowing fracture - bending without visible breakAngulated longitudinal force
- Fissure - incomplete cortical break without bending
- Torus (buckle) fracture - bending with compression fracture and outward bulging of the cortexAxial loading
- Greenstick (buckle) fracture - bending of a bone on one side with a crack on the opposite side.Angulated longitudinal force or direct perpendicular trauma
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