The bone is what forms the skeletal structure of the human body. It is the hardest substance in the human body. The body consists of 206 bones in all. Under Bone Injury we will look at the various kinds of injury, the various timeline for healing, and the best treatment required.
When we look at Bone Injury it can only be differentiated by the severity of the injury. There is a misconception that fracture is different from breaking but they are one and the same.
Fracture: There are many kinds of fractures depending on the angle of the crack to the bone, the location of the crack, and the severity of the fracture. A fracture can be caused due to trauma to the bone, diseases, or over usage of a specific area of the body.
In Image: Types of Bone Fractures
Some of the notable and most common kind of fractures in a sportsperson is:
1. Stress Fracture: This is also known as a hairline crack, which is resulted by a small crack or severe bruising to the bone. Stress fracture usually does not need major medical treatment like surgery. A lot of athletes and sportspersons tend to ignore the pain and return to training sooner than they should. This can have a longer-term effect. Swelling, tenderness and bruising can identify it.
2. Oblique Fracture: This is a major break to the bone. Many footballers have had to put their career on hold due to this kind of injury. Oblique Fracture is very visible and extremely painful to the point athletes have passed out from it. This is a complete break to the bone due to excessive trauma, collision, or blows to the bone. This kind of injury requires surgery and a meticulous and slow recovery process.
In Image: Stress Facture and Oblique fracture examples
Fractures will result in no-pain, mild pain, or excruciating pain depending on the kind of break. There can be swelling in the region of the crack thus signaling there is some kind of damage to the bone. Though the pain is not always intense with mild fractures, it can still cause discomfort and partial mobility when using that particular part. There will also be discoloration of the tissue and skin around the injury.
As we dive deeper into specific bone types and the level of injury to these bones we will focus on the kind of treatment, duration, and preventive measures to avoid getting injured again. One thing we want the general sports community to understand is this, ‘Do not take shortcuts when it comes to bone injury. It is better to be out for a few months or a year and prolong your playing career than come back early from the injury and cut short your playing career.’
If you have gone through a bone injury write to us so we can help other athletes in the community on the kind of recovery process that was followed for better outcomes.
Read here about Calf Muscle Injury - Causes, Treatment and Prevention
