FRACTURE CLASSIFICATIONS

Avulsion

Complete severing of a body part, typically a toe or finger.

🧠 : AVULSION = “away” → something gets pulled/severed away

Colles fracture

Fracture of the distal end of the radius that produces a characteristic “dinner fork” deformity.

🧠 :COLLES = RADIUS/ wrist

Comminuted fracture

Bone is splintered into several small pieces between the main parts.

🧠 :COMMINUTED = COMMINUTED into MANY pieces

Complete fracture

Bone is broken into two or more pieces.

🧠 :COMPLETE = completely broken through

Compression fracture

Bone is squashed, which may occur in a vertebra during a fall.

🧠 :COMPRESSION = CRUSHED

Depressed fracture

A broken part of the bone forms a concavity, as in a skull fracture.

🧠:DEPRESSED = DENT/ CONCAVITY

Displaced fracture

Fractured bone parts are out of anatomical alignment.

🧠:DISPLACED = moved out of place

Epiphyseal fracture

The epiphysis separates from the diaphysis at the epiphyseal plate.

🧠 :EPIPHYSEAL = EPIPHYSEAL PLATE

Greenstick fracture

Partial fracture where one side breaks while the other side bends.

🧠 :Think of a young green twig → bend it and it breaks on one side but doesn't completely snap.

Hairline fracture

fine crack in which sections of bone remain aligned.

🧠 :HAIRLINE = tiny/thin crack

Impacted fracture

One fragment of bone is firmly driven into another.

🧠 :IMPACTED = pushed INTO

Incomplete fracture

partial fracture that extends only partway across the bone.

🧠:INCOMPLETE = not all the way through

Linear fracture

Fracture is parallel to the long axis of the bone.

🧠:LINEAR = LINE goes LONG

Oblique fracture

Diagonal fracture at an angle to the long axis of the bone.

🧠:OBLIQUE = OBLIQUE ANGLE

Pathologic fracture

Fracture caused by weakening of bone from a disease process, such as cancer.

🧠 :PATHO = disease

Pott fracture

Fracture at the distal ends of the tibia and fibula.

🧠 :POTT = tibia/fibula

Spiral fracture

Fracture that spirals around the axis of a long bone and results from twisting stress.

🧠:
SPIRAL = TWIST

Stress fracture

Thin fractures caused by repeated, stressful impact, such as running.

STRESS = repeated stress

Transverse fracture

Fracture at a right angle (90°) to the long axis of the bone.

🧠:TRANSVERSE = across

simple (closed) fracture

under skin

Compound (open) fracture

penetrates INTO skin