Patient education: Fracture in adults – Discharge instructions (The Basics)

What are discharge instructions? — Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.

Below is general information about caring for yourself after a fracture.

What is a fracture? — A "fracture" is another word for a broken bone. There are different kinds of fractures, depending on how the bone breaks. When a bone breaks, it might crack, break all of the way through, or shatter.

If a broken bone sticks out of the skin or can be seen through a wound, doctors call it an "open" fracture. If the bone does not stick out of the skin or cannot be seen through a wound, doctors call it a "closed" fracture.

How are fractures treated? — Treatment depends, in part, on the type of fracture you have and how serious it is. The goal of treatment is to have the ends of the broken bone line up with each other so that the bone can heal.

●If the ends of your broken bone are already in line with each other, your doctor will put a cast, splint, or brace on. This keeps your bone in the correct position so that it can heal.

●If the ends of your broken bone are not in line with each other, your doctor will need to line them up. To do this, they can sometimes move your bone to the correct position without doing surgery, and then put a cast, splint, or brace on. In other cases, surgery is required to line up the bones.

How do I care for myself at home? — Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure that you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

You should also:

●Follow the doctor's instructions for wearing the cast, splint, or brace. This supports and protects your bone as it heals. Some fractures are placed in a cast right away. Other fractures are not put in a cast until after the swelling goes down.

●Avoid getting the cast wet unless the doctor says that it is waterproof.

●Follow instructions for limiting activity and movement until the bone is healed. The doctor or nurse will tell you what activities are safe to do. Increase your activity slowly.

•Avoid heavy lifting, driving, sports, and swimming for at least a week or 2. (The doctor, nurse, or physical therapist will tell you exactly how long to avoid these or other activities.) Over time, slowly increase the level of activity as you get stronger.

•If the broken bone is in your leg, ankle, or foot, follow instructions about "weightbearing." Some people are not allowed to put any weight on the leg. Others are allowed to put a little weight on the leg. Often, people use crutches or a walker to help them move around.

•If the broken bone is in your shoulder, arm, wrist, or hand, you might get a sling to support the arm.

●Prop the injured arm or leg on pillows, keeping it above the level of your heart. This might help lessen pain and swelling.

●Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, if needed. These include acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol), ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).

●Follow all of your doctor's instructions for taking prescription pain medicines, if you got them.

●Ice the injured area to help with pain and swelling, if needed:

•Put a cold gel pack, bag of ice, or bag of frozen vegetables on the injured area every 1 to 2 hours, for 15 minutes each time. Put a thin towel between the ice (or other cold object) and the skin.

•Use the ice (or other cold object) for at least 6 hours after the injury. Some people find it helpful to ice longer, even up to 2 days after their injury.

●Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of calcium, vitamin D, and protein (figure 1).

●If you smoke, try to stop. Broken bones take longer to heal if you smoke.

●Work with a physical therapist (exercise expert) after your fracture heals, if needed. They will suggest exercises and stretches to strengthen the muscles and keep them from getting stiff.

What follow-up care do I need? — The doctor will want to see you again to check on your progress. Go to these appointments.

When should I call the doctor? — Call the doctor or nurse for advice if:

●Your arm, hand, leg, or foot of the limb with the broken bone becomes very swollen or warm.

●Your fingers or toes turn cold, blue, gray, or numb.

●You damage your cast or splint.

●You have very bad pain that is not helped by your pain medicine.

More on this topic

Patient education: Fractures (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for your cast (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for your child's cast (The Basics)
Patient education: How to care for a splint (The Basics)

Patient education: Cast and splint care (Beyond the Basics)