Cracked bones, which shares similar definition with either broken bones or fractures, refers to a condition where the affected bone is no longer integrated in one entire piece. There is a fracture on certain part alongside the bone. Fractures or bone cracks may or may not cause displacements, depending on which bone is broken and where on the bone the fracture occurs. Cracked bones are often triggered by outside force upon it that commonly occurs when a person experiences a blow or a fall. The bigger the force is, the more severe the damaged it causes to the bone. Hence, we coined the slightly different terms; broken and cracked bones, although both convey the same meaning, in fact. In addition to external forces, cracked bones can also be caused by osteoporosis—a condition occurs because the bone is lack of calcium and stiff. Cracked bones may require a quite long time to heal and commonly require professional medical attention.

How cracked bones are treated

Cracked bones or fractures are very common around the world. In performing treatment to this problem, health practitioners commonly rely on medical casts, which has been used for a long time for treating bone cracks. The cast acts as a medium to re-position the cracked area of the bones, so that bone remodeling will take a perfect form and thus, the function of the affected bone can be regained properly. Before a cast is applied on a cracked bone, it is essential to make sure that the swelling has improved. This soft-padding and hard-covering medical instrument generally stay on between 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the severity and location of the cracked bones.

How to heal cracked bones faster

Putting a cast on a cracked bone is known to be effective, although it does limit various movements and thus, activities the patient usually do. However, there are many things and procedures you can actually do in order to speed up the healing process along with this casting procedure.

• Maintain your calorie intake in daily basis. Makes sure you provide enough calories for proper bone healing without cutting down your food intake. Healthy adults require around 2,500 to 3,000 calories daily, but those with cracked bone problems require up to 6,000 calories a day, even though they are bed resting.
• Increase your protein intake. It is advised that people with cracked bones add their protein intake by around 20 grams per day. Lean protein is essential for maintaining bone density during the healing process.
• Take enough calcium and amino acids. Food sources containing calcium and lysine are essential for faster cracked bone recovery. Calcium is important for bone health, while amino acids help the body absorb this calcium. Great sources of minerals that are necessary for bone healing include dairy products, tofu, beans, broccoli, raw nuts, organic seeds, and salmon.
• Avoid things that may cause delayed healing, such as alcohol, sugary foods, refined sugar, and high processed foods. These food sources may inhibit proper and sufficient blood circulation to the wound site.
• Stop smoking. Similar to foods listed above, smoking may also trigger improper cracked bone healing, as it inhibits sufficient blood flow that carries nutrients and cells for bone healing.
• Stick to any treatments provide by your doctor. One of the most common treatment for cracked bones is casting. In some other cases, cracked bones may also be treated with neck supporting band or crutches. If you are advised to use any of these treatments, stick to the length of time determined by the doctor before taking off the instrument. Stop using the advised treatment before the appointed time may result in improper or delayed healing.
• Light exercising. Some excessively-done exercises may cause bone displacement, but some lighter ones can be done without risking your cracked bones. Instead, these properly-done light exercises will give benefits to the treated bones and thus, promote faster healing. Try to do some movements that will not risk your cracked bones as frequent as possible, since being active promotes sufficient blood flow to the wound site and thus, speeds healing.
• Enroll yourself into a physiotherapy. Physiotherapy will be necessary once the cast is removed from the treated bone area. This will strengthen the muscles around the cracked bone and thus, help you seek for faster healing. Proper physiotherapy and cautious activities will bring back your muscle strength that leads to not only faster, but proper cracked bone healing.