Broken Bone Research Paper

5. BONE AILMENTS

5.1 FRACTURES

A fracture is also known as bone breakage. Bones are mostly unbending, but every now and then they bend or give external force to the body. However, the bones will break if the force applied on it is too strong, just as a plastic ruler breakdowns when it is bent too far. The severity of a fracture is usually determined by the force that caused the break. The bone may fissure rather than break all the way through, if the breaking point of the bone has been exceeded only slightly. If the force is much more than the breaking point, such as in an automobile crash or a gunshot, the bone may splinter into pieces. If the broken bone punctures the skin, it leads to an open or compound fracture. Fractures commonly caused

The bone forming cells of the body may fail to form enough new bone, or too much old bone may be reabsorbed by bone reabsorbing cells, or both. Calcium and phosphate are two essential minerals for normal bone formation. Throughout youth, the body uses these minerals to produce bones. Calcium is an essential component for proper functioning of the heart, brain, and other organs. The body reabsorbs calcium that is stored in the bones to maintain blood calcium levels and also to keep those critical organs functioning properly and continually. If calcium intake is not sufficient or if the body does not absorb enough calcium from the diet, bone production and bone tissue may suffer which eventually leads to osteoporosis. Causing the bones to become weaker, resulting in brittle and fragile bones that can easily lead to fractures. Usually, the loss of bone occurs over a prolonged period of time. Often, the disease may be in its advanced stages and damage may be serious, also, a person might sustain a fracture before becoming aware that the disease is

Women who are frequently diagnosed with this disease are especially those older than 60 years of age. In such women, menopause is accompanied by lower estrogen levels and hence increases the risk for being diagnosed with osteoporosis. Inadequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, lack of weight-bearing exercise, and other age-related changes in endocrine functions, in addition to lack of estrogen are few of the many other factors that may contribute to bone loss in this age group.

SYMPTOMS

There are characteristically no symptoms of bone loss in the early stages. But signs and symptoms start appearing once bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, a few of the signs and symptoms include:

1. Back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed bones in the vertebral column.

2. Loss of height over a period of time.

3. Stooped posture in the affected areas.

4. Bone fracture that occurs much more easily than