1. Health

Fracture or Break?


Updated June 04, 2014

A fracture is a broken bone. A broken bone is a fracture.

While many people believe that a fracture is a "hairline break," or a certain type of broken bone, this is not true. A fracture and a broken bone are the same thing!

Both of these words mean that the normal bone architecture has been disrupted. This does not imply a certain type of treatment, but in general, bones heal best when immobilized. Therefore treatment often involves casting of the broken bone (or fracture) and may require surgery to secure the bone into place.

  1. About.com
  2. Health
  3. Orthopedics

©2014 About.com. All rights reserved.

We comply with the HONcode standard
for trustworthy health
information: verify here.