Fracture care

San Francisco broken bone sufferers—get quality fracture care close to home! 100% of broken bones can be fixed. Fracture care refers to several modalities and approaches used to treat bone fractures caused by overuse, injury or osteoporosis. There are several different types of bone fractures:

• Open or compound fracture
• Stable fracture
• Transverse fracture
• Oblique fracture
• Comminuted fracture

Treatment for each is different. Schedule a consult with Dr. Abbi in San Francisco to learn more about your options.

What is it?

Fracture care includes many different approaches to treating all kinds of fractures. Every care plan starts with an examination by a doctor so the fracture can be assessed and diagnosed. The type of fracture you have determines care. Some of the more common care options include:

• Casts or braces
• Traction
• External fixation
• Internal fixation
• Open reduction

In some cases surgery is required to fix and set the bones. Dr. Abbi offers two surgical interventions for fracture care: open reduction and internal fixation. Screws, plates and other hardware may be necessary to keep the broken bones in place.  

Purpose

  Fracture care is a series of interventions that are used to treat and heal bone fractures throughout the body. Dr. Abbi offers several options for fracture care including two surgical options, internal fixation and open reduction, which are used to treat more serious fractures.

Benefits

Fracture care relieves pain in patients who suffer from broken bones by setting and healing the bones back in place. In many cases it is a lengthy process to heal broken bones, but a mix of interventions can be used to achieve the best results. The biggest benefits are pain relief, healed bones and better movement/function in the affected area.

Areas the surgery helps:

Surgery and non-surgical fracture care options treat bone fractures throughout the body.

What conditions can be treated?

San Francisco fracture care reverses and heals bone fractures caused by osteoporosis, injury or overuse.

The procedure:

The length of surgery depends on what type of fracture being fixed and how bad the fracture is. Bones that are fractured in multiple places typically take longer to treat. Each care option has its own procedure. Casting and braces are pretty straight forward. The open reduction and internal fixation are the only surgical procedures on the list. Here is the process:

• The patient is placed under general anesthesia.
• Abbi makes incisions to access the part of the bone that has fractured.
• Abbi will reposition the bones in the correct position to promote proper healing.
• Screws or metal plates will be attached to the bone to hold it in the correct position as it heals. Sometimes rods are used instead.
• The patient is closed and wheeled to recovery.

Risks:

  Every surgery carries risks. Often risk factors are made worse by other modalities. Unhealthy patients who are overweight or have bad habits such as smoking or excessive drinking are at higher risk for complications during surgery. Because this procedure requires general anesthesia, patients should be aware of the risks associated with that drug, which include death, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and drug allergy. Other risks associated with San Francisco fracture care are infection, blood loss, nerve damage, pain from screws/equipment, movement of equipment, bacterial colonization of the bone, loss of motion, stiffness, muscle damage, arthritis, palsy, nonunion and tendonitis.

After the procedure:

It can take weeks or even months for any bone fracture to heal. The more severe the fracture, the longer and typically more painful the recovery is. Continue to visit your doctor to determine how much activity your bone can handle and to manage pain if it persists. Physical therapy may be recommended after to promote strengthening and better movement.

Cost:

The cost of a cast varies but patients can expect to pay an average of $500. The cost of ORIF surgery also varies depending on the bone being treated. Patients can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000-$7,000.

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For information about options for fracture treatment, click here: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00139