How do fractures heal

If you saw an X-ray of the healing bone, it would look uneven. But over the next few months, the bone is reshaped so that it goes back to looking the way it did before the injury. Casts and splints can hold broken bones in place while they heal. New hard bone forms in about 3—6 weeks, and the cast or splint usually can come off. A broken bone is a common, treatable childhood injury.

Most breaks heal well, and kids can get back to all the activities they enjoyed before the injury. Reviewed by: Richard W. Kruse, DO and Susan M. Making sure the bone heals safely and properly is job number one for your orthopaedist. However, there are some steps you can take to safely speed up healing of a broken bone, and a high-quality, injury-appropriate physical therapy program is high on the list. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, all broken bones go through the same three-step healing process:.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the time frame depends on the age of the patient and the type and location of the fracture. Healing can range from 6 weeks or even less for certain lower arm and wrist fractures to 6 months for more challenging leg breaks.

Circulation is essential for bone repair, so keeping the blood flowing through exercise helps bones heal. This is one reason physical therapy is so important in promoting safe and speedy healing. Digging Deeper: Depression and the Past. Digging Deeper: Germs and Disease. Digging Deeper: Milk and Immunity. Viral Attack What's Lurking in Lunch? How Do Bones Heal? Bone Healing and Repair Steps. View Citation You may need to edit author's name to meet the style formats, which are in most cases "Last name, First name.

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. What's going on under a cast as a bone heals? Bone Bits. Sometimes the displaced bones need to be put back in place before the cast, splint, or brace is put on. This is done through a procedure called a reduction.

This is also called "setting the bone. In the first few days after a fracture, the body forms a blood clot around the broken bone to protect it and deliver the cells needed for healing. Then, an area of healing tissue forms around the broken bone. This is called a callus say: KAL-uss. It joins the broken bones together.

It's soft at first, then gets harder and stronger over the following weeks.