Commonly Asked Fractures
In this article we have commonly asked questions and points regarding orthopedics and fractures.
Upper Limb Fractures
- Aviator’s Fracture: Neck of Talus
- Boxer’s Fracture: Neck of 5th Metacarpal
- Bennett’s Fracture: (Intra-articular) Base of 1st Metacarpal
- Rolando’s Fracture: (Extra-articular) Base of 1st Metacarpal
- Chauffeur’s Fracture: Radius above the Styloid Process
- Galeazzi’s Fracture: Distal Radius with Dislocation of the Distal Radioulnar Joint
- Monteggia’s Fracture: Proximal Ulna with Dislocation of the Head of the Radius
- Smith’s Fracture: Reverse of Colles Fracture
Spinal Fractures
- Chance Fracture: Horizontal Fracture through Vertebrae due to Sudden Deceleration
- Clay Shoveler’s Fracture: Spinous Process of T1
- Jefferson’s Fracture: Burst Fracture of Atlas (C1)
- Hangman’s Fracture: Fracture of Axis (C2)
Lower Limb Fractures
- Cotton’s Fracture: Trimalleolar Fracture
- Pott’s Fracture: Bimalleolar Ankle Fracture
- Jones Fracture: Base of the 5th Metatarsal
- March Fracture: Stress Fracture of the Second Metatarsal
- Masonne’s Fracture: Neck of Fibula
- Toddler’s Fracture: Spiral Fracture of Tibia
- Crescent Fracture: Iliac Bone with Sacroiliac Disruption
Stress Fracture
Occurs due to repetitive minor trauma to healthy bone. Common locations:
- Metatarsals (e.g., after long hikes)
- Tibia & Fibula (in regular athletic activities)
Stress Fracture Question
Q: Stress fracture occurs in:
a) Diseased bone
b) Normal bone of a healthy person ✅
c) Commonly in the humeral shaft
d) Always requires operative treatment
Answer: (b) Normal bone of a healthy person
Solution & Explanation
- A simple fracture has a single fracture line.
- A comminuted fracture has multiple fracture lines with bone fragments.
- An open fracture has a wound where the bone protrudes through the skin.
- A closed fracture has no external wound.
- Pathological fractures occur in elderly patients with osteoporosis or in patients with metabolic bone diseases or tumors.
- Greenstick Fracture: Fracture of the shaft of long bones in children where the outer cortex breaks while the inner cortex bends.
