Osteoporosis Fractures: Know The Pain Management!

A fracture is a complete or incomplete crack, which appears on a bone due to application of intense pressure or force. A fracture results in extreme pain, and the bone becomes immobile. Any kind of movement boosts the pain. Fracture pain occurs in three distinct stages. Acute pain is felt immediately after a fracture while sub acute pain occurs over the weeks that follow after a fracture. The third stage or chronic pain occurs when the fracture and soft tissues around it have healed.

Fracture pain is quite intense in nature and proper precautions should be taken while dealing with them:

1. Development of fracture pain: When a bone undergoes a fracture, the ligaments and tendons are also damaged. While the bone slowly heals, ligaments and tendons fail to heal equally well or completely. Post fracture pain also develops when the outside of the bone does not heal completely. This usually does not appear in an X-ray.
2. Treatment of fracture pain: Modern medications can be utilized to treat a fracture pain. Steroid injections and prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines help in treating a fracture pain. However, these remedies cause side effects, which are harmful for the body. Cortisone shots are utilized for the same purpose as well.
3. Prolotherapy: Prolotherapy is an approach where ligament and tendon strengthening is stimulated along with repairing. This technique ensures complete treatment of the fracture, and the risk of long-term complications like arthritis is absent. In cases of fracture pain, which occurs due to the incomplete healing of the outer part of the bone, Prolotherapy helps in strengthening the fibro-osseous junction at the source of the pain. This will stop the nerve endings from firing. Prolotherapy provides speedy recovery and accounts for making the injured bone stronger than before. This process is often undergone by athletes. The procedure is undertaken only after thorough examinations for detection of the root cause of the pain. Prolotherapy is considered to be the best treatment for repairing tendons and ligaments, which commonly cause fracture pain. The body is simply stimulated and the painful areas are repaired. This is done by the introduction of a mild inflammatory reaction to the area of the weak tendons and cartilages. The results obtained after Prolotherapy are permanent and the fracture pain is unlikely to reoccur.

Other measures:

• Splints are utilized to stop the movement of fractured bone and braces can be used to support the bone. Plaster cast also supports and immobilizes the fractured bone. Traction and surgical implants are other treatment measures.
• Fracture pain occurs not only because of the broken bone, but also because of the weakened ligaments and tendons around the bone. Fracture pain should be handled very carefully, and proper control measures should be applied. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a physiotherapist.