A bone fracture can result from a fall, a vehicular accident or a disease that affects the bone. As the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center states, those who are most probably at risk of a bone fracture are those that have osteoporosis, or low bone density, bone tumors, certain forms of cancer and the disease called osteogenesis imperfecta which involves the weakening of the bones. Several complications can arise as a result of bone fractures.
Volkmann’s Ischemic Contracture
The website Right Health defines Volkmann’s contracture as a deformity of the hands and fingers due to an injury in the muscles of the forearm. Ischemia, meaning lack of blood flow, causes this deformity, according to Right Health. The lack of blood flow can be caused by a bone fracture that causes swelling that compresses the blood vessels, thereby decreasing the blood flow. This, in turn, causes the nerves and muscles to become stiff and shorten. As this occurs, the joint cannot straighten and continues to bend. As a result, the fingers, wrist and the hand can become deformed.
Growth Abnormalities
Hughston Health Alert states that a bone fracture can cause growth abnormalities, especially in children. This can occur during a healing process from a bone fracture, when the bone can stop growing to the normal size. This can cause, for example, one leg to become shorter than the other. When one side of a fractured bone stops growing before the other side, the bone can grow at an abnormal angle. This can again cause bone deformity. Known as malunion, the bone can also grow to an abnormal alignment, according to Hughston Health Alert.
Fat Embolism
An embolus occurs when a blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel of the heart dislodges and travels to another location, usually the lungs. Fat embolism is the occlusion of fat globules in the blood, causing the clot to be bigger and be unable to pass through the blood vessel, as reported by the website Patient UK. This can be caused by a trauma in the blood vessel due to an injury or bone fracture. This decreases the blood flow to the heart, the brain and other parts of the body.
