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What Is Fracture Healing Of Bones?

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Fracture healing of bones is a complex process that involves the coordination of multiple processes within it. A fracture is a break in the structural continuity, or periosteum, of the bone. Bones are remodelled through the continual replacement of old bone tissue as well as generation of new tissue when fractured. (“Bone Remodeling and Repair” boundless.com) Bone repair consists of four phases overlapping phases; hematoma formation/initial inflammatory response, bone generation/soft callus formation, hard callus formation, and bone remodeling. (“Bone Remodeling and Repair” boundless.com) (“Bone remodeling during fracture repair: The cellular picture.” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The first phase of healing after the initial fracture is the hematoma formation. Blood vessels in the broken bone tear and hemorrhage, forming a hematoma in the matter of a few hours after the fracture. A hematoma is a collection of blood similar to a blood clot. The broken blood vessels are then sealed due to vasoconstriction and the clotting cascade. (“Bone Remodeling and Repair” boundless.com) Inside the hematoma, phagocytes begin cleaning bone fragments and …show more content…

Fibroblasts and osteoblasts enter the area of the blood clot and begin to reform bone. Fibroblasts are cells that pronounce connective tissues, while osteoblasts secrete the matrix for bone formation. Fibroblasts produce collagen that connect the ends of broken bone together while the osteoblasts start to form new spongy bone. The connective tissue between the ends of the bone is called the fibrocartilaginous callus. (“Bone Remodeling and Repair” boundless.com) This callus of hyaline and fibrous cartilage acts as a splint for the fracture. This phase is called the bone generation/soft callus formation phase. (“Anatomical Kinesiology: Types of Fractures, healing, and clinical advances in bone repair.”

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