Broken arm
Personal Injury and broken arms
The arm is a relatively vulnerable part of the human skeletal system when it comes to fractures. Broken arms total over half of all broken bone personal injuries. The arm is made up of 3 large bones. The humerus, which is the bone that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. At the elbow, the humerus then connects to two bones, the radius and the ulna. The radius and the ulna are what connects the elbow to the wrist, and are commonly known as the forearm.
Typical causes of broken arms
A broken arm is the result of either trauma or a fall. In the case of a fall, an outstretched hand is unconsciously used to absorb some of the force of impact so as to protect the vital organs inside the chest. This bearing of weight can result in a fracture anywhere between the wrist and the shoulder. In the case of trauma, the arm is struck by an object. The severity and location of the break is a direct result of the force and location of the impact.
Types of broken arm
Depending on the circumstances of the personal injury an arm can break in several ways.
The most common type of broken arm is a simple fracture. This is where the bone fully breaks but does not pierce the skin. While there is less visual evidence, the symptoms of this personal injury are easily identifiable. There will be large amounts of worsening pain, severe swelling, bruising, and a lack of ability to bear weight.
An impacted fracture is a personal injury that is most commonly caused by falling from a great height. This is where the end of one bone is forced into another.
A spiral fracture is a break that is around the bone. Sporting injuries are the most common cause of this type of personal injury, because of the twisting motion that some sports require.
A comminuted fracture is a personal injury where a bone is broken into fragments. It is also known as a compression fracture. This type of injury most commonly occurs when large forces are involved with the impact. It is the most common type of personal injury fracture in road traffic accidents because of the large forces.
Serious Law have a great deal of experience in both the treatment and personal injury compensation of broken arms. If you would like to investigate the possibility of a personal injury claim, or to ensure you are receiving the correct level of rehabilitation to ensure your personal injury recovers appropriately, then visit our > Contact Us page for more information.
Broken arm repair process
When an arm is broken, the blood vessels are also ruptured. This causes bleeding around the break which eventually clots around the injured area. Clotting is a mechanism which is designed to both stop the flow of blood, and to stop the flow of blood to the jagged edges of bone which has been broken. Eventually, over several days, the clot which has formed will become stronger and become a soft callus.
Cells known as fibroblasts begin to produce fibres of collagen, which is the main form of protein and acts as the building blocks of bones and their connective tissue. Cells known as chondroblasts also begin to produce a type of cartilage called fibrocartilage. This is used in order to further toughen up the callus into what is known as a fibrocartilaginous callus. This new harder callus is what fuses the gap between the two pieces of broken arm and remains for a period of approximately three weeks. The final stage of healing is where cells known as osteoblasts begin to produce bone cells in order to fully heal the broken arm into a newly formed bone.
Broken arm next steps
If you would like to investigate whether you may have a personal injury compensation claim from a broken arm, then please call 0800 035 15 65 or visit our Contact Us page for more information.
