What are the main symptoms of nonunion?

summary

Fracture nonunion is called nonunion. Bone tissue has a strong ability to repair itself. When fractures are treated properly, most fractures will heal well. However, some fractures are difficult to heal.

What are the main symptoms of nonunion?

When fracture healing is relatively slow, it is called delayed healing. When the fracture cannot heal, it is called nonunion. About 5% of all fracture patients have difficulty in healing. Because of the continuous activity of the fracture site, nonunion is usually accompanied by pain, which greatly reduces the quality of life of patients.

In determining the treatment of nonunion, the following factors must be considered: clear cause, location of nonunion (specific bone and intraosseous location), type of nonunion, previous treatment, X-ray findings, and a series of specific characteristics of other patients.

In a broad sense, treatment planning should include improving local biological behavior or / and enhancing its mechanical stability. The commonly used treatment methods to improve local biological characteristics include: removal of infection, bone transplantation, bone marrow transplantation and Ilizarov method. Methods to improve mechanical stability include plate and screw internal fixation, intramedullary nail internal fixation and external fixator.

matters needing attention

The most important thing for patients to prevent fracture nonunion is to avoid smoking. Other factors included good nutrition and adherence to the rehabilitation plan recommended by doctors. Patients with smoking, obesity, diabetes, or other diseases have a higher risk of nonunion.