Condition

Low energy injuries (such as falls from a standing height), usually result in less complex fracture patterns and less soft tissue injury.  Typical falls from standing height cause wrist fractures, elbow fractures, humerus or clavicle fractures. Typical symptoms of a fracture include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Deformity
• Restricted movement
• Weakness
• Difficulty lifting things

Lower energy injuries can be missed and may be passed off as ‘sprains’ or ‘strains’.  If you have had an injury that is not responding to treatment, it is advisable to see your doctor and obtain X-Rays to rule out a fracture.

Higher energy injuries (such as motorcycle and car crashes) typically fracture bones in multiple places, into smaller pieces, and commonly disrupt the soft tissues resulting in large amounts of bruising and swelling.  These can be challenging to treat and frequently require surgery to restore the bones to their anatomical position to make healing quicker and your function better in the long term.

Support for Patients with Upper Limb Fractures

If you’ve been in an accident or suffered a stress injury and suspect a fracture, ensure that you seek medical attention. Failing to treat a fracture can result in complications from improper healing, including further pain, misalignment, limited movement and arthritis. 

Dr David Slattery has extensive experience consulting on fractures and is able to make use of a variety of conservative and surgical intervention as part of a treatment plan – detailed here. 

Dr Slattery endeavours to see all fracture patients within 24 hours of initial enquiry. Contact his rooms at Melbourne Bone and Joint in central Melbourne, Windsor, Brighton or Heidleburg on 03 5752 5020 or call  for after hours fractures.