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Fracture types (1)

Fracture types (1)

Overview

There are several types of bone fracture, including:

  • Oblique - a fracture which goes at an angle to the axis
  • Comminuted - a fracture of many relatively small fragments
  • Spiral - a fracture which runs around the axis of the bone
  • Compound - a fracture (also called open) which breaks the skin

Review Date 4/24/2023

Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Francisco, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.