What Happens If You Don’t Treat a Broken Bone?
You’re enjoying a nice walk when all of a sudden you trip and fall to the ground. Before you know it, blood starts to ooze from a cut on your knees. What do you do?
Do you leave it alone or clean the wound? Hopefully, you answered the latter. Remember, you always want to clean the area as soon as possible!
What if you got hit by a car, though? Instead of having just a minor cut, you’d probably be dealing with broken bones (if you’re lucky).
Obviously, that kind of injury would require a hospital visit—a doctor will have to put you in a cast while the bone heals.
But wait, what happens if you don’t treat a broken bone? What are the possible complications? Curious to know? Then you’ll want to read the rest of this post!
How to Tell If You Have a Broken Bone
Bone fractures are not obvious to the naked eye. After all, bone is surrounded by layers of skin, muscle, and fat. With that said, there are a few signs that you can watch out for.
For one thing, there will generally be bruising in the area. Chances are, there will also be swelling and deformity (e.g. your arm might bend in a way that it’s not supposed to bend).
Should You Go to the ER?
Generally speaking, it’s not necessary to go to the ER for a broken bone. Nine times out of ten, you can just visit your family doctor. Chances are, they’ll order an X-ray, which will let them see your injury more clearly.
There’s also the option of accident doctors if you’re involved in a car crash. Never heard of them? They’re basically doctors who specialize in auto injuries.
Possible Complications: What Happens if You Don’t Treat a Broken Bone?
You should always seek medical help if you suspect a bone fracture. Sure, the body will heal itself but it won’t always do so correctly.
For instance, it’s important that the ends of a broken bone are lined up properly. If not, it can heal improperly, which can lead to pain and mobility issues.
Not only that, but there can be shrapnel-like fragments in the area. Depending on their position, they can damage the surrounding nerves, ligaments, and muscles.
Left untreated, these pieces of bone can cause infection, which can easily spread to other parts of the body.
Recovering From a Bone Fracture
Hopefully, that answers the question of “what happens if you don’t treat a broken bone”. As you can see, there are many reasons why you don’t want to ignore a potential fracture.
For one thing, it can easily lead to infection. On top of that, it can cause damage to the surrounding areas!
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