57 Bone Fracture – Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of bone fractures can include:

Numbness, pain, deformity, swelling, muscle spasms, tenderness, tingling, numbness, impaired sensation, decreased mobility, external bleeding (in open fractures), fracture blisters, and clicking in transchondral fractures.

A grating sound termed crepitus may be present if the bone ends move over each other.

Bone fractures may be accompanied by the signs and symptoms of shock which include:  pallor, diaphoresis (excess sweating), hypotension, tachycardia, nausea and vomiting.

*Transchondral fractures involve a separation of the cartilaginous joint surface (articular cartilage) from the main shaft of the bone.  Transchondral fractures can penetrate into the subchondral trabeculae of the fractured bone and may involve an avulsion of an osteocartilaginous flake.  Transchondral fractures occur most frequently in teenagers at the distal femur, ankle, patella, elbow, and wrist.  These injuries are accompanied by pain, swelling, weakness, instability, stiffness, possibly locking of the joint, and/or instability.