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Fractures

Fractures

Fractures services offered in Mount Laurel, Sewell, Galloway, Wall, Vineland and West Orange, NJ

Fractures run the gamut from tiny hairline cracks to shattered bones. Call a Coastal Spine office in Mount Laurel, Sewell, Galloway, Wall Township, Vineland, or West Orange, New Jersey, if you suffer a fracture. The highly skilled orthopedic surgeons quickly and accurately assess your injury and provide the most effective treatment. Call Coastal Spine today or book an appointment online for expert fracture care.

Fractures Q & A

What are fractures?

Fractures are breaks or cracks in your bones. They most often result from sudden trauma but can also be caused by long-term stress on specific bones. Common fractures include:

Vertebral compression fractures

Vertebral compression fractures most often develop in people with osteoporosis. This condition results in loss of bone density, which increases your risk of fractures. Compression fractures in the spine form wedge shapes that give your upper back a permanent hump (kyphosis).

 

Stress fractures

Stress fractures are tiny cracks that develop slowly. They affect bones that come under excessive, prolonged strain, causing chronic pain.

To determine the extent of fracture damage, your Coastal Spine doctor looks at X-ray images.

 

How are fractures treated?

Fractures can be very painful, so you’ll likely need pain relief medicine as soon as possible. Anti-inflammatories might also help by reducing tissue inflammation. You might need antibiotics to fight infection if you have a compound fracture.

A simple fracture where your bones stay in alignment requires a cast or splint to hold the bones in place while they heal. If the fracture is displaced, your doctor can perform a closed reduction, using their hands to reposition the bones. Stress fractures also need protection to give the bones time to mend.

Vertebral compression fractures might benefit from a minimally invasive procedure like vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. Vertebroplasty involves injecting bone cement into the affected vertebra to strengthen it. Kyphoplasty is similar, but your doctor first inflates a tiny balloon in the vertebra to restore some height.

Could I need surgery for a fracture?

Simple fractures don’t usually require surgery. But more complex breaks where closed reduction isn’t possible often do.

Your Coastal Spine surgeon must repair broken bones and damaged soft tissues, ensuring everything is in alignment (open reduction). They may use pins, plates, rods, and screws to secure the bones. Sometimes they temporarily fix an external frame to the badly broken bones to keep everything in place while the bone heals.

Physical therapy is often necessary following a fracture to rebuild strength and flexibility in the affected area.

Call Coastal Spine today or book an appointment online for expert fracture care.