Trauma

Orthopaedic trauma essentially means broken bones (fractures). Many fractures can be managed without surgery using a cast, splint or sling. Most fractures require evaluation and follow-up by an orthopaedic specialist. These injuries are covered by ACC and can be managed in the private sector. More serious fractures that require urgent surgery are best treated in the public health system at your local public hospital.

How long a fracture takes to heal depends on the type and location of the fracture. Healing time is also affected by other factors such as smoking and diabetes. Fracture healing can take from six weeks up to many months. Even when the bone has healed, the surrounding muscles and soft tissues may take much longer to fully recover. If a fracture does not heal or heals badly, surgical intervention may be required.

Common problems include:

• Non-Union

  • A non-union is the medical term for a fracture which has not healed within the normal expected healing time for that particular injury. This can happen both in fractures treated with and without surgery. Common sites for non-union include the clavicle (collar bone), humerus (arm bone) and tibia (leg bone). Treatment of a non-union normally requires surgery to stabilise the bones with plates and screws, and may also need a bone graft taken from elsewhere in your body to help stimulate the bone to heal. Follow the link to learn more about non-union.

• Mal-Union

  • A mal-union is the medical term for a bone which has healed in the wrong position. In many cases this does not cause any functional problem, and can be safely left alone. When a significant mal-union causes loss of function or visible deformity, surgery may be required to re-break and straighten the affected bone.

• Painful Metalware

  • In fractures that have been treated with surgical fixation, the metal implants used to fix the bone may cause local irritation of the soft tissues. This is particularly common for areas where the bones are near the surface of the skin such as the ankle, clavicle (collar bone) or elbow. Once the bone has fully healed, these implants can generally be safely removed. The surgery to remove these implants is usually quicker to recover from than the original surgery, and can often be done as a day-stay procedure.