McAllen Broken Bone Lawyers

What Are the Common Causes of Broken Bone Accidents

There are many different ways someone can break a bone, but some of the most common include:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Slip and fall accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Work-related accidents.

If you’ve been injured in any type of accident that wasn’t your fault, your first step should always be to seek medical treatment, even if you think you’ve only suffered a “minor” injury. What you feel is a sprain could be a fracture, and if the break doesn’t heal properly, you could develop an infection, or the bone might be misaligned, causing you problems later on. If you decide to file a lawsuit with the help of a McAllen personal injury lawyer, your medical records will go a long way toward proving your injuries.

What Are the 4 Types of Bone Fractures?

There are four types of bone fractures. If you break a bone, it’s essential to know which type you have, as it’ll determine what treatment you need.

Simple or Closed Fracture

A closed fracture, also called a simple fracture, is when the broken bone stays within the body and does not push into or out of the skin. This type of fracture doesn’t carry the same risk of infection as open fractures, but it still requires immediate treatment. Closed fractures can cause blisters in the surrounding tissue, which can develop as soon as two days after the injury if not treated.

Compound or Open Fracture

An open or compound fracture causes a break in the skin. This might fully puncture the skin and cause bleeding, which increases the risk of infection. An open fracture should be cleaned immediately by a medical professional and closed with stitches. This type of break often requires surgery to remove the diseased tissue and implant screws into the bone to support it while it heals.

Partial Fracture

A partial fracture, sometimes called an incomplete fracture, happens when the break doesn’t go all the way through the bone. This tends to cause the opposite part of the bone to bend. As the bone doesn’t separate into two, this is the least severe type of fracture, but an X-ray is still required to determine whether you need a splint or a cast.

Complete Fracture

A complete fracture is when the bone breaks into two or more pieces. A complete fracture might be transverse, where the break is straight across the bone; longitudinal, or along the axis of the bone; or comminuted, where the bone breaks into more than two pieces. The classification of the complete fracture will determine your treatment, but surgery is likely needed to realign and set the fractured bone.

The Consequences of Broken Bones — Is a Broken Bone Considered a Major Injury?

If you break a finger or a toe, you can go to an urgent care clinic, where your broken bone will be treated as a minor injury. But not all bone breaks are equal.

A broken neck or back could cause permanent disability, while a compound fracture could get infected and is considered a medical emergency. But even the most “minor” of breaks have weighty consequences.

Beyond the immediate pain and discomfort of a broken bone, these injuries can affect a person’s life in multiple ways until the fracture is fully healed. Some of the common concerns associated with broken bones include:

• Inability to complete work-related tasks
• Inability to participate in hobbies
• Inability to exercise
• Loss of strength or flexibility in the affected area
• Inability to drive safely.

If you’ve suffered this type of injury because of someone else’s negligence, a broken bone lawyer may be able to help you claim compensation.