How long does it take for a fracture to heal?
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Hello, I am a 22 years old male. I fell from my bike and I got my left leg fractured. How long does it take to completely heal? How long does it take for a fracture to heal?
It still hurts. I have a wedding in two months. What should I do? -
@jainil Hello, Most fractures heal in 6-8 weeks, but this varies tremendously from bone to bone and in each person based on many of the factors.
Healing time for fractures are divided into three phases:- Inflammatory Phase: starts at the time of injury and lasts 1-2 weeks. Bleeding around the fracture organizes into a fracture hematoma or clot on the bone ends. Damage to the tissues results in cell death which is cleaned up by an inflammatory response.
- Repair Phase: lasting the next 2-3 weeks where actual tissue repair occurs and new living cells of bone, cartilage, and fibrous tissue occur at the fracture site. Calcium is deposited into the callus and can be seen on x-ray at 2-3 weeks after injury.
- Remodeling: occurs as the fracture callus is replaced with strong organized bone. Remodeling goes on for months after the fracture is no longer painful and appears to be healed on x-rays.
The following points may help you heal faster :-
- Nutrition: Maintain a well-balanced diet. Protein, Vitamins C, D, and K are all essential for fracture healing. Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Zinc are all elements needed for bone formation and to accelerate the healing process.
- Smoking: If you smoke, STOP. This is probably the greatest single thing you can do to help fracture healing. Smoking inhibits fine capillary blood flow that is essential to healing.
- Avoid high dose Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen. These medications can inhibit the early phase of fracture healing.