Traumatic fractures occur when an excessive load is applied to a normal bone by violence or trauma.
Direct Violence
- here the bone breaks at the site where trauma is inflicted, namely
- Tapping: which causes transverse fracture
- Crushing: which causes a comminuted fracture with extensive soft tissue damage
Indirect Violence - here the fracture occurs due to twisting or bending stress applied to a bone as follows
- Rotational or twisting force applied to the foot may cause a spiral fracture of the tibia
- Angulation force which may cause transverse fracture
- Angulation force combined with axial compression may cause fracture where the centre fragment is triangular and is known as butterfly fracture
Muscular Violence - a sudden contraction of a muscle may cause a fracture to the bone to which it is attached
eg: Particulate fractures by sudden quadricep's contraction or Olecranon fracture(of the bony portion of elbow) by sudden tricep's contraction with resistant extension of the elbow(also known as Avulsion fracture).