(instructor)

Now, we're going to review the information on various types of fractures, or broken bones. Yesterday, we talked about three types of fractures. Do you remember what they were? Clair?

(Clair)

They were simple, compound, and, ah, greenstick fractures.

(instructor)

Yes, exactly. Now, can you tell me how a simple fracture and a compound fracture differ? Are they different because of the number of fractures? Dave?

(Dave)

No, the difference between a simple and a compound fracture refers to how much damage there is to the tissue around the broken bone rather than the number of breaks in the bone. In a simple fracture, the bone is broken, but there's little damage to the tissue around the, um, around the bone. In a compound fracture, the bone is broken and there's a lot of damage to the tissue around the broken bone.

(instructor)

So, how much tissue damage is there in a compound fracture? Gail?

(Gail)

A lot. In a compound fracture, the broken bone actually comes through the skin.

(instructor)

So, when we talk about the difference between a simple and a compound fracture, this doesn't refer to the number of breaks in a bone; instead, it refers to the amount of tissue damage. How do we refer to the number of breaks in a bone? Clair?

(Clair)

To talk about the number of breaks in a bone, we talk about a, a single, a double, or a multiple break. A single fracture means one break, a double fracture means two breaks, and the, uh, a multiple fracture means more than two breaks.

(instructor)

OK, I hope this distinction's clear, that we talk about single, double, and multiple fractures to refer to the number of fractures and simple and compound fractures to refer to how much tissue damage there is around the break. Now, we have just one e more type of fracture to discuss, and that's the greenstick fracture. Dave can you tell me who generally suffers from greenstick fractures?

(Dave)

Greenstick fractures are usually found in children.

(instructor)

That's true. And what is a greenstick fracture? Gail?

(Gail)

A greenstick fracture means that the bone bends and maybe it breaks part of the way, but it doesn't break all the way through. The name "greenstick" refers to a young g green plant that might bend instead of breaking.

(instructor)

So, is a greenstick fracture a very serious fracture? Clair?

(Clair)

No, a greenstick fracture's usually the least serious type of fracture because the bone isn't broken all the way through. The compound fracture, where the broken bone comes through the skin, is the most serious type of fracture.