Bone Fracture vs. Broken Bone: What’s the Difference?

The difference between a bone fracture and a broken bone is a matter of severity, as broken bones take considerably longer to heal than fractures and can also leave victims in more pain. Both injuries result from blunt force impact type of physical injury is when the bone is shattered due to blunt force. 

If you’ve recently been in an accident and now have a broken or fractured bone that requires time to heal, consider calling an Atlanta personal injury lawyer. Working with a personal injury lawyer makes it easier to demand compensation for broken or fractured bones, along with any other losses you sustained in a recent accident.

What Causes a Bone Fracture or Broken Bone?

Excessive force put upon a bone will cause it to snap or shatter. The most common activities for bone fractures/broken bones to arise include:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Playing sports
• Working out at the gym
• Slips and falls
• Physical altercations

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are over a million Americans each year who suffer bone fractures. This makes broken bones one of the most common physical injuries. Older people can be more prone to breaking their bones, especially if they have osteoporosis. 

Cancer and infections can also cause a weakening of the bones allowing the victim to be more susceptible to bone fractures. 

What Are the Symptoms of a Bone Fracture? 

With any physical injury, the most obvious sign that something is wrong is the great deal of pain that you will feel. There are plenty of other symptoms you will experience when you break a bone. These include:

• Swelling 
• Numbness
• Tenderness
• Bleeding
• Bruising 
• Change in color (usually purple or grey)
• Inability to move
• A deformity (like a bump)
• Bone poking through the skin

Call a medical professional and get to a hospital as quickly as possible if you are suffering from any of these symptoms. Bone fractures are not usually life-threatening. However, these types of injuries need to be treated as soon as possible. Otherwise, they can become infected and/or develop into something far worse. 

Untreated bone fractures can lead to significant disabilities. 

What Is the Treatment for a Broken Bone?

Bone fractures are classified in a few different ways. The three major classifications are based on cause, location, and pattern. Your treatment for a bone fracture will depend on a few different factors. 

These include the type of fracture, the location of the injury, and the severity of the broken bone. Human bones can typically heal themselves by replacing the old, broken bone, with new bone tissue. This new bone tissue forms at the edges of the fracture, and it “knits” the two back together. 

To help with this process, your doctor will give you a cast for the broken bone. You will also use a sling if it is a broken arm/hand, or you will use crutches (or a wheelchair) if it is a broken leg/foot. The recovery period is usually six to eight weeks for most bone fractures. 

When You Need Surgery

There are cases where surgery is required in order to reposition the injured bone. This is known as “open reduction.” The doctor will use anesthesia to put you to sleep and prescribe you pain medication once the surgery is complete to help ease the pain. 

You could have pins, screws, rods, and wire cables put inside of you during the surgery to help reposition the bone. 

How Can You Prevent a Bone Fracture?

The best way to avoid breaking a bone during a car accident is to wear your seatbelt. Following the rules of the road and minimizing distractions while driving will also help prevent crashes which help with preventing physical injuries like bone fractures. 

Taking an active role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent breaking a bone. This means getting enough daily exercise and consuming enough calcium in your diet. Both of these will help keep your bones strong. 

Bone Fractures vs. Sprains

Many people use the terms “sprain” and “break” interchangeably. However, these two are not the same thing. A bone fracture refers to the complete shattering of a bone. 

A sprain does not even refer to bones. It refers to a stretched or torn ligament. It is possible to experience both a bone fracture and a sprain at the same time. 

Will Insurance Cover Broken Bones from a Car Accident? 

Yes, your insurance provider should cover the medical costs of a motor vehicle accident. This is especially true if you did not cause the collision. However, an insurance company will try to get out of paying for certain things like prescription drugs or physical therapy. 

Do not let this happen to you. Your insurance provider cannot decide what type of treatment you can and cannot get. Only your doctor can decide that. 

In cases where your insurance company is refusing to pay for specific medical costs, it might be best to hire a personal injury lawyer. 

Should You Hire a Lawyer for a Bone Fracture after a Car Accident?

Yes, you should hire a personal injury lawyer following any type of physical injury from a car crash. This is even more important if you are not at fault for the motor vehicle accident. This is where Atlanta car accident lawyers can help you. 

This is because our team of talented personal injury attorneys has over 350 years of combined experience fighting and winning these types of cases. A personal injury lawyer can help you in three major ways. These include:

• Negotiating with your insurance companies to make sure you get the appropriate amount of payments
• Obtaining financial compensation for your injuries and damages
• Holding the at-fault driver accountable for their negligent actions

Contact Our Team for Help Today

Some victims of motor vehicle accidents believe that they do not have a strong enough case in court since their bone fracture injury is not life-threatening. This is not true. You always have a chance to seek justice when wronged and to protect your rights when they are infringed upon. 

Contact a personal injury lawyer today about your case, and you can receive a free consultation.