Doctors use four groups of fracture classifications to describe a broken bone, including open or closed, location, type of break, and completeness. The location is defined by the bone’s proximity to the body, and the type of break can be transverse, spiral, oblique, comminuted, or segmental. An incomplete fracture means the bone is not completely broken, while a complete fracture means the bone is completely separated.
To classify a fracture, also known as a broken bone, doctors will use four groups of fracture classifications to best describe the break. There are two basic types of primary fracture classification, open and closed. The location of the fracture is defined by the location of the bone where it occurs, proximal, mid or distal. Within these two groups are five other subsets of fracture classification, transverse, spiral, oblique, comminuted, and segmental. Finally, a fracture is described as complete or incomplete, depending on the severity of the break.
An open fracture classification is given when the bone has broken such that it is protruding through the skin. A closed fracture occurs when broken bone remains under the skin. Of the four classifications, this is the easiest to determine with a simple visual inspection. This is also the first fracture classification a doctor will use to define the specific type of fracture.
The second classification of the fracture is determined by the location of the bone where the break occurred. To better describe the break, each bone in the body is considered to be made up of three parts, each of which makes up about one-third of the bone. A fracture may be termed proximal, meaning that the break is located within the area of the bone closest to the body; distal, meaning that the bone has broken farthest from the body; or medium, signifying that the break occurred in the midsection of the bone.
The third classification of fracture is the most detailed, as it provides a description of how the bone is broken. If the bone is fractured in one place, it is described as transverse, spiral, or oblique. A transverse fracture is a fracture that cuts through the bone sharply in a fairly straight line. A spiral fracture is an angled break that surrounds the bone. Finally, an oblique fracture is a diagonal break within the bone.
If there are multiple fractures within the same bone, it can be described as comminuted or segmental. When the bone has broken into several small sections in close proximity to each other, it is considered a comminuted fracture. If the breaks enlarge further, causing larger sections of bone to break, the fracture is described as segmental.
Finally, a fracture will be described as incomplete or complete. An incomplete fracture is one in which the bone has not been broken completely, causing the bone fragments to remain connected to some extent. These types of fractures may also be referred to as greenstick fractures or hairline fractures. If a fracture is complete, however, the bone has completely separated at the site of the break.
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