Further to my question on if a break is a fracture...?!
Question: i dont have a cast on my "broken hand" is this because it dont need bone manipulation? i just cant figure it out cos the doctor tells me it a fracture yet i am not sure if i should have a cast on it or not.i only have a bandage but i thought that if i got a bone in two pieces (which i dont cos i saw the x-ray) i would get a cast but a fracture means no cast yeah?
Answers: i dont have a cast on my "broken hand" is this because it dont need bone manipulation? i just cant figure it out cos the doctor tells me it a fracture yet i am not sure if i should have a cast on it or not.i only have a bandage but i thought that if i got a bone in two pieces (which i dont cos i saw the x-ray) i would get a cast but a fracture means no cast yeah?
no that is not correct
Yes, you probably have hair line fractures. Which in most cases is only a bandage for reducing movement and let the hair line heal. If it was broken then a cast would be placed on to let the bones fuse back together. If you have pain in it than soak it in warm water. Hope this helped you.
Pharmacy & Vet Tech
This is such a misunderstood topic! Not you, but I can't tell you how many times I've hear, "no, its not broken, its just fractured!". Let me explain best I can. First, a broken bone is medically called a "Fracture". All fractures are broken bones, and all broken bones are fractures. Now, there are many different "types" and "degrees" of fractures, from a complete fracture, to a hairline or stress fracture. A complete fracture is when the bone is fractured all the way through. A compound fracture is when the damage is so bad that a bone had protruded throught the skin - ouch. Now, a hairline, or stress fracture is usually from a repeated stress on the bone, to the point where it suffers a hairline crack in the bone, usually running lengthwise on long bones. You have a fracture, which is a break in the bone, but it must be so fine that they feel a cast is not necessary. Usually, they will at LEAST give you some kind of hand brace for this, to imobilize and support the hand and wrist.