What to do if a fracture does not heal? Good care is the key

Many people experience non-healing of fractures. This is because the post-fracture care is not done well. If you want the fracture to heal as soon as possible, you must exercise appropriately if your body allows, stay in bed for care, and increase nutrition in your diet.

1. Fracture Care

1. Be careful not to fix it too tight. After fracture reduction and fixation, special attention should be paid to whether the plaster or splint is too tight. If you find blood flow obstruction at the distal end of the fracture site (fingers or toes), that is, severe swelling or purple skin, you should seek medical attention immediately. Always check the skin around the edges of the cast or splint for pressure. If redness or ulceration occurs, consult a doctor.

2. Strengthening functional training is also important. Get out of bed and move around as soon as your body allows. Patients who cannot get out of bed should also do limb exercises in bed to promote blood circulation, which is beneficial for fracture healing and functional recovery.

3. Raise the affected limb. After a fracture, the affected limb should be elevated (use a pillow to support the fractured limb) to promote blood circulation and prevent excessive swelling.

4. Bed rest care for patients. Patients who have been bedridden for a long time after a fracture should sleep on a wooden bed, which is good for their health. They should also pay attention to turning over regularly and massaging the compressed skin to prevent bedsores.

5. Dietary care. Family members should take good care of the patient's diet and daily life, pay attention to strengthening nutrition, and often eat high-protein and high-vitamin foods. Drink bone soup regularly to supplement calcium.

2. Western medicine treatment of fractures

1. Reset

It is to restore the displaced fracture ends to their normal or close to original anatomical relationship, so as to restore the supporting function of the bones. There are two methods of reduction: closed reduction and surgical reduction.

2. Fixation

After the fracture is reduced, it is unstable and prone to re-displacement. Therefore, different methods should be used to fix it in a satisfactory position so that it can heal gradually. Commonly used fixation methods include: small splints, plaster bandages, external fixation brackets, traction and braking fixation, etc. These fixation methods are called external fixation. If the incision is made during surgery and fixed with steel plates, steel pins, intramedullary nails, screws, etc., it is called internal fixation.

3. Functional exercise

By contracting the muscles of the injured limb, blood circulation in the tissues surrounding the fracture is increased, fracture healing is promoted, and muscle atrophy is prevented. By actively or passively moving the unfixed joints, joint adhesion and joint capsule contracture are prevented, so that the function of the injured limb can be restored to its normal state before the fracture as soon as possible.