Fracture Treatment in Siliguri

A fracture refers to a broken bone or the underlying tissue; bones are rigid and tend to break when force is applied to it. A fracture could be partial or complete breakage of bone on account of stress or trauma. It can also occur in people suffering from medical conditions like bone cancer or osteoporosis. Other reasons for fracture can be an accident, falling from a height, assault, etc. The symptoms and fracture treatment highly depend on the location and the severity of the fracture. All fractures can be classified as simple and compound. In simple fracture, the only damaged part is the bone and nothing happens to the skin whereas, in compound fracture, the skin also gets damaged and might result in an open wound. Being prone to infection this kind of a fracture is more severe.

Fracture limits the movement of the injured part because it becomes very painful. Bones do not have sensory receptors; still, a crack in them hurts a lot and it is only because of the damaged tissue and muscles that hold the bone in place. Fracture at times involves internal bleeding and medical help should be taken immediately. To locate the exact location of the fracture and to verify the condition of the surrounding tissues, x-rays and a detailed medical examination is needed. A proper fracture treatment can be advised only after going through the very basics of finding the damage that has incurred.

The basic rule of all the fracture treatment is putting the broken piece back in the right place and preventing further movement until it is healed completely. The most common method to immobilize a limb is by preparing a cast around the bone after aligning it properly and usually, the cast is made up of Plaster of Paris.

Operation procedure for different kinds of fractures:

Closed or simple fractures – the tops of the broken bone are aligned properly and placed in position. Then the limb is bandaged and wet plaster is applied around it to give support. At times, the cast is cut into two after the plaster dries and the two halves are re-bandaged again on the outside. This is done to allow space for swelling that might occur.

Open or compound fractures – for this a surgery is needed wherein a thorough cleaning has to be done to remove the broken pieces and after cleaning, the damaged tissues are treated and the bone is aligned. In these kinds of fractures, even the skin gets damaged, so even that has to be treated to avoid any kind of infection.

Long bones – like the femur bone of the thighs are difficult to align. In adults, it is generally treated through internal nailing. The use of rods, screws and pins is done to align the broken bone and keeping it intact without any movement till the time it gets healed properly. Pins are put right above and below and are secured with a fixture that is an external frame and the whole process is done under general anesthesia. Traction is done for children for a couple of days prior to setting a cast.