{"id":10251,"date":"2019-09-05T15:59:34","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=10251"},"modified":"2021-06-28T15:10:59","modified_gmt":"2021-06-28T15:10:59","slug":"15-common-causes-of-avulsion-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-common-causes-of-avulsion-fracture\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Common Causes of Avulsion Fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Avulsion fractures are one of the most common types of fractures there are, and every emergency room sees at least a few hundred cases of avulsion fractures per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pain, discomfort and bruising are just some of the symptoms associated with an avulsion fracture; usually, treatment for an avulsion fracture involves resting the affected body part as much as possible, placing the affected body part in a brace or cast and sometimes surgery in more advanced injuries or ones that are unable to heal on their own with a cast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These types of fractures happen when a ligament or tendon breaks off a bone fragment when the fracture takes place, and while they\u2019re commonly seen as a type of sports injury, they can also happen due to a variety of different other causes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 of the most common causes of an avulsion fracture, and what you can do to reduce the risk of it ever happening to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Running or Jogging Injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone knows that partaking in exercise and sport are some of the most important things for maintaining a healthy lifestyle<\/a>, and jogging, walking or running are some of the best forms of exercise out there you can get. But this doesn\u2019t mean that exercise is all good for you at all times \u2013 injuries sustained during running and jogging are very common, especially in colder weather, and especially with newer athletes or ones who didn\u2019t warm up properly before their exercise routine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it\u2019s as simple as taking a wrong step or turning a corner too sharply \u2013 and before you know it, you might have a nasty avulsion fracture to deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience any pain or discomfort while you\u2019re exercising, cut back and take a break before the actual injury happens. For any pain or discomfort continuing after this, see a doctor for x-rays and adapt your exercise routine to fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Taking a Misstep<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exercise <\/a>and sporty activities aren\u2019t the only things that can strain the ligaments and tendons enough to cause an avulsion fracture; there are many cases where simple, small things can catch a bone, muscle or ligament in the wrong way and cause the same type of injury \u2013 and it can happen at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can easily happen when crossing the street and misstepping the curb, when walking down or upstairs or when entering a room. Sometimes it just happens, and there\u2019s not much one can do to anticipate it happening. Pain, discomfort and immediate swelling of the affected area are some ways to tell that an area has been hurt, but the extent of the damage can only be seen and diagnosed with an x-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditions that affect bone such as arthritis or connective tissue (such as Ehlers-Danlos) can increase the risk of spontaneous avulsion fractures like these. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Kicking a Ball<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The majority of avulsion fractures happen due to sudden trauma<\/a>, and usually when a muscle or ligament gets pulled \u2013 and gets pulled so hard that it detaches a piece of the surrounding bone. There are many situations where this can happen, and the injury is very common amongst those in professional sports \u2013 but of course, they can also happen to you even just during a casual game of football or anything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kicking a ball places a lot of impact on the bones and ligaments within the legs and feet: People who do this regularly as a pastime or professional career have put a lot of work into making sure that their ligaments and muscles are trained to handle impact, while the same isn\u2019t true for everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same impact \u2013 or sometimes just the wrong angle \u2013 during simple action like kicking a ball can be enough to cause an avulsion fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. A Twisted Ankle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Avulsion fractures happen when there is too much tension on a ligament <\/a>or muscle, and it\u2019s when this ligament or muscle snaps and breaks off a piece of bone from the affected area when it becomes an avulsion fracture \u2013 which can sometimes go together with other types of bone breaks and muscle strain at the same time. Twisting an ankle is one of the more common ways to cause this injury, and there are hundreds of possible ways in which you can cause this injury in yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What people call twisting an ankle normally happens during movement, when people suddenly turn around and literally turn the ligaments and bones in the socket \u2013 and this leads to immediate discomfort, pain, and usually associated swelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying pressure to the area and raising it higher than the heart are some ways in which the immediate symptoms can be relieved until medical attention can be reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. A Bad Fall<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Falls can happen to anyone at any time, and they\u2019re one of the most common causes of emergency room visits every single year; they aren\u2019t just something that happens to the elderly more as they get older and frailer, but a bad fall \u2013 or even mild accident \u2013 can happen at any point in your life. Avulsion fractures happen when a ligament, muscle or tendon is placed under enough pressure <\/a>to snap a piece of bone loss from the rest of the surrounding bone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can easily happen during a fall \u2013 or more accurately, it can happen as one tries to stop the fall, and the body stretches ligaments and muscles beyond their capacity to half the incoming impact. Many times this can result in other types of impact fractures at the same time, usually of the forearm bones or wrists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fall can be automatically more serious and will require immediate medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6. An Impact Injury<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Impact injuries can be defined as any kind of injury that\u2019s caused by an external impact \u2013 the impact sustained from punching someone, for example, gives us what\u2019s commonly known as a boxer\u2019s fracture; the same way, impacts to other parts of the body can cause avulsion fractures, whereby the impact causes a tear and breaking off of the bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have sustained an impact injury<\/a>, the best thing you can do is make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible, or get yourself straight to the emergency room. Having x-rays performed can establish the type of the injury as well as the extent of injury before any type of treatment is followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact injuries are best kept completely still until medical attention can be reached to reduce any risk of further aggravating the injury. Usually, this is treated with six to eight weeks spent in a cast, but can also sometimes require surgery to remove broken-off bone and repair ligaments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"shoulder<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7. Increased Strain on Tendons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Increased strain on tendons can sometimes cause these tendons to lengthen and snap, which is one of the parts of the process of how avulsion fractures occur. There are many different ways in which you can potentially strain a tendon<\/a>, including not stretching before you exercise, or having nutritional issues as part of your diet that can affect the strength of your muscles; some connective tissue disorders can also make these types of injuries far more likely.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strain can also be put on the tendons through activities like heavy lifting (for the back, arms, and wrists), exercising (such as yoga \u2013 especially without warming up beforehand) or standing for long periods of time. Sometimes even simple activities like walking downstairs and missing a step can be what triggers enough increased strain on tendons \u2013 and a subsequent avulsion fracture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injuries of this type can sometimes be avoided if you notice any pain and stop the activity before a fracture or break happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

8. Related Sports Injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sports professionals and anyone in amateur sports have to take especially good care of their bodies \u2013 and anyone who puts their body through enough stress<\/a>, even if it is to stay in better health, cut be putting themselves at risk of developing an avulsion fracture. There are many different types of sports injuries that can occur that haven\u2019t been mentioned on this list, and they usually have something to do with any activity that puts enough strain on a bone, muscle or tendon to cause this type of fracture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always take note if you experience pain, discomfort or swelling during any activity or as a sudden or chronic symptom. It almost certainly means the risk of injury \u2013 or an actual injury that has already occurred. Many breaks and fractures aren\u2019t immediately obvious, and sometimes people \u201cpush past\u201d pain and spend weeks walking around with a fracture they didn\u2019t get checked out \u2013 it\u2019s not uncommon, and it can be disastrous for getting it to heal  <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mocre Interesting Articles<\/h2>\n