Fracture Malunion - What You Should Know
Our body has this property of healing the bone after the fracture has occurred. But sometimes, what happens is that the two ends of the broken bone are not properly lined up and the healing process occurs with the misaligned bones. This is the case where healing occurs with a deformity and is known as malunion.
What is Fracture Malunion?
Fracture malunion is a condition where the bone heals with deformity after fracture and in this case, a new bone develops filling a large space between the displaced bone ends. It is noticed that fractures in the forearm, hand, and wrist can cause some amount of bent or angulation when healed. Malunion can occur in any bone fracture of the body generally due to trauma.
Symptoms of Fracture Malunion
- Swelling and pain near the injured area
- Discomfort while using the affected area
- Bone tenderness
- Bone deformity
- Limited functioning of the injured area
For the treatment of fracture malunion, internal or external fixation using trauma implants may be indicated.
Diagnosis of Fracture Malunion
The history of your injury is the first thing a doctor will ask to diagnose malunion. Once getting an idea, the doctor will perform a physical examination to get better insights into the condition. Besides this, certain imaging tests may also be performed to see the misalignment of bones and decide which treatment procedure will be the most suitable one. Imaging tests indicated by the doctor may include an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI scan.
Complications Associated with Untreated Malunion
If malunion is ignored or left untreated, the condition could become serious and may lead to degeneration, joint instability, arthritis, deformity, and loss of function.
Treatment of Fracture Malunion
Surgery is known to be the best option for correcting malunion and ensuring proper healing. Osteotomy is one of the most common procedures used by surgeons to treat fracture malunion. In this surgical procedure, lengthening or shortening of bone is done to achieve better results and ensure proper realignment.
This procedure often involves re-break or cutting of the bone near the site of the original fracture. Sometimes, to get the proper alignment a bone graft may also be used.
The process of internal fixation or external fixation for malunion correction will be decided by the orthopedist based on the severity of the fracture. The surgical procedure done for the correction of malunion involves the use of various orthopedic implants including Bone Plates, Bone Screws, and an External Fixation System.
With years of hard work and experience, Siora Surgicals has marked its name as a renowned Orthopedic Implant & Instruments manufacturer in India. The company is also admired for exporting its ISO standard quality product range to many countries including Germany, Indonesia, UK, and Greece.
The use of trauma implants during surgery will depend upon the type of procedure used by the surgeons. Once the surgery is done, it is also important to pay serious attention to post-operative care and rehabilitation. This will help the patient regain normal functioning of the injured area while ensuring improved long-term bone health.