Bone Fractures

What are Bone Fractures?

Fractures are breaks in a bone, which are classified in two ways:

Open fracture (compound fracture) is when the bone pokes through the skin and can be seen, or when a bone can be seen through the skin because of a deep wound.
Closed fracture (simple fracture) describes a broken bone, but when the skin is not broken.

Make same-day or next-day appointments at Orthopaedic Urgent Care.

UR Medicine's Treatments for Bone Fractures

If you think you may have fractured a bone, you can seek care from your primary care provider or orthopaedic urgent care. Your physician may use a combination of physical exams, diagnostic tests, and imaging to determine if you have a bone fracture. Treatments can include:

Splint or cast to keep the bone aligned and protect the injured area from motion or use while the bone heals.
Medicine to control pain.
Traction using steady, pulling action to stretch parts of the body in a certain direction, helping the bone ends align and heal.
Surgery, if needed to put certain types of broken bones back into place. Sometimes internal or external metal rods or pins are used to hold the bone fragments in place while they heal.

What Sets Us Apart?

UR Medicine offers Orthopaedic Urgent Care, a convenient alternative to the emergency room. Our team of orthopaedic experts will evaluate and treat acute bone, joint, muscle, and concussion injuries. If needed, a follow-up appointment with a UR Medicine Orthopaedics & Physical Performance physician is scheduled. In order to better serve our patients, the Orthopaedic Urgent Care offers urgent care services by appointment only. It is not a walk-in clinic.

As an academic medical center, we have both the orthopaedic expertise and the help of talented medical and surgical colleagues (geriatrics, intensive care, pain management, trauma surgery, and plastic surgery) to address any complication or complex problem you might face in recovery. We specialize in treating all types of fractures and injuries in patients of all ages.

Our team of nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeons and specialists can treat any fracture. Our surgeons are fellowship-trained—the highest level of academic achievement in their field—and patients come from the entire multi-county region to benefit from their expertise. Our orthopaedics providers at Strong Memorial Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, perform the highest number of fracture repairs of any hospital in New York State.