When do you need surgery for a broken bone?
Not all fractures need surgery — in fact, most of them probably don’t. So, when is surgery your best tool to heal?
Daniel Sellers is a physician associate with the Salem Health Orthopedics trauma department. Sellers said his team looks at several factors when evaluating a patient.
“Each bone is going to have a different set of criteria,” said Sellers. “We’re going to look at X-rays to assess the fracture pattern and see how that break pattern impacts their ability to get back into activities.”
A holistic approach to evaluating patients
The physician associate said certain broken bones require surgery because the break extends into the joint. The trauma department also considers if the fracture is open or displaced, and if the bone can bear weight for a patient to walk again.
“We take all of those factors into consideration, as well as factors of the patient like age and bone quality,” said Sellers. “We take a holistic view in looking at those factors to determine the best path forward for each patient.”
Common fracture causes
For patients under the age of 15 and over the age of 54, falls are the most common cause of fractures seen at Salem Hospital emergency department. For everyone else, the top cause is motor vehicle accidents.
“Orthopedic surgeons see a lot of high-energy injuries such as motorcycle or car accidents,” said Sellers. “Our team sees e-bike accidents, pedestrians who are hit, falls from heights. We tend to see ground-level falls and other types of accidents in the clinic.”
Age not only plays a role in the likely cause of a fracture, but also in determining when surgery is the best path forward.
“As far as the elderly, there are certain injuries where we always consider surgery, such as hip fractures,” said Sellers. “But no matter the age, our goal is to restore function and quality of life. Age alone is not our only factor.”
In general, patients with fractures can expect several months of recovery. That could be three to four months for minor fractures, or longer than six months for a more severe break.
“In every scenario there is an effort to look at return to activity, quality of life and restoring anatomy,” said Sellers. “Surgery isn’t always the best option, but when it is, we look at a variety of factors and risks with a patient.”
Orthopedic care
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