When people break a bone in their body, the main question they ask is, “how long is it going to take to heal?”

When people break a bone in their body, the main question they ask is, “how long is it going to take to heal?” The answer is not as clear-cut as you may expect.

Most fractures in the body undergo a staged pattern of recovery and healing, typically taking about six weeks.

The stages include:

Inflammation typically only lasts a few days before the bulk of the rebuilding occurs in the repair phase. After this, the tissues continue to remodel and strengthen over a period of years. Despite this basic guide, there are many factors to consider when predicting bone healing.

Where?

First, the location of a fracture is of great importance. Typically, a lower limb fracture will take two to six weeks longer than in the upper limb.

How?

Also of great importance is the mechanism of injury – how the fracture happened. The forces applied to the particular bone can typically explain the severity and style of fracture. The table outlines some of the different types of fracture, and how they typically occur.

What?

The time period of the healing process can also vary depending on other factors such as style of bone broken (for example, long bone versus flat bone), blood supply to the region, associated injuries, age and previous health status among others.

Who?

Children will heal quickly, the elderly more slowly, and associated conditions such as osteoporosis can prolong repair.

In conclusion

Your medical officer or physio will be able to give you a good indication of how long the repair process will take on a case-by-case basis. For further information you can talk to them, or email matthew.snowden@defence.gov.au.

fracture	Cause	Examples
Traumatic
Direct	The bone is broken at the point of impact.	Direct blow – a hammer hitting the leg.
Indirect	The bone breaks at a point away from where the force is applied.	Twisting force – the top of the fibula fracturing in an ankle sprain. Rib fractures in rowers.
Stress
	Repetitive loading or impact applied to a bone.	Tibial stress fractures in runners.
Crush
	A significant force is applied, causing a bone to crumble into itself.	Crushing of a vertebra or calcaneum (heel bone) when landing from a fall.
Avulsion
	The force is enough for a chip of bone to be pulled off the main body of bone.	A tendon pulling a chip of bone off the fifth metatarsal (foot bone) in an ankle sprain.
Greenstick
	The bone is bent to a point where some fracture occurs but the rest remains intact.	A partial fracture of the radius/ulna (forearm bones) in children falling on an outstretched hand.
Open
	This injury results in the bone protruding through the overlying skin.	A fractured femur protruding through the skin in a car accident.
Pathological
	A fracture is caused by an underlying weakness of the bone.	Osteoporosis. Tuberculosis. Bone tumour.
Complicated
	The broken bone causes injury to other nearby structures.	A fractured rib puncturing the underlying lung.