The physical exam will also reveal clues and will check for the presence of foreign bodies in the wound (if present) and assess whether the nerves and blood vessels in the area of injury are intact. If damage to the underlying blood vessels has occurred there may be bruising, bleeding, or the hands may appear cyanotic, or blue.Ī careful history including the details of the traumatic event usually points to the diagnosis of a fracture. If nerve damage has occurred there may be numbness, tingling, or weakness. The range of motion may be severely limited. The affected arm may be shorter than the other due to displacement or dislocation. The arm may appear obviously deformed or crooked and need to be supported with the other arm. Depending on the type of fracture, there may be lacerations of the skin with bone fragments sticking out. This type of injury is rare and is sometimes called ball throwers fracture.Īrm fractures usually cause an immediate onset of pain and swelling. This can be due to a previously undiagnosed congenital deformity of the bone, an occult tumor of the bone, or a medical condition that causes weakness of the bone like osteoporosis or long-term use of corticosteroids.Ī spiral fracture of the arm is caused by rotation along with muscle contraction of great force, and the resulting crack wraps around the bone in a spiral fashion. A crush injury to the arm can also result in a fracture.Ī pathologic fracture occurs in bones that are inherently weak. They can be caused by a direct blow to the arm like being hit with an object like a baseball bat or in an automobile accident. They commonly occur by falling onto an outstretched hand. A greenstick fracture occurs when only one side of a long bone is broken.Īrm fractures generally occur because of trauma. A fracture may also be described as displaced, meaning that the ends of the bone no longer line up. The fracture may be associated with a dislocation, where the bone has come out of alignment with the joint. The fracture may be comminuted, meaning that the bone has broken into several small pieces. The fracture can be open, whereby the sharp edges of the fractured bone lacerate the skin and may stick out of the wound or closed, leaving the skin intact. These three bones can be broken in many ways. When standing in anatomical position (arms at sides and palms facing forward) the ulna is the bone closest to the body and the radius is closest to the thumb. They are located between the elbow joint and the joints of the wrist. There are two bones in the forearm: the radius and the ulna. The humerus is the bone in the upper arm between the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. Knight help your arm fractures?Īn arm fracture is a broken or cracked bone in any of the three bones that construct the arm. 3 What are the symptoms of Arm Fractures?.
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