Bone fractures are a painful yet common injury that can happen to anyone, from kids on the playground to athletes and older adults. Whether it’s a simple wrist fracture from a fall or a more severe break requiring surgery, proper rehabilitation is essential for a full recovery. This is where physiotherapy plays a crucial role in getting you back to your normal life. In this blog, we’ll dive into what bone fractures are, how they heal, and how physiotherapy can speed up the recovery process.
What is a Bone Fracture?
A bone fracture occurs when there is a break in the continuity of the bone. Bone Fractures vary in severity and can be caused by trauma (such as a fall or car accident), repetitive stress (common in athletes), or medical conditions like osteoporosis that weaken bones.
Types of Bone Fractures
Bone Fractures come in different shapes and sizes, including:
- Closed (simple) fracture – The bone is broken but the skin remains intact.
- Open (compound) fracture – The bone breaks through the skin, increasing infection risk.
- Greenstick fracture – A partial break common in children due to softer bones.
- Comminuted fracture – The bone shatters into multiple pieces.
- Stress fracture – A small crack in the bone, often from overuse in sports.
- Pathological fracture – Caused by a disease that weakens bones, such as osteoporosis.
How Do Fractures Heal?
Healing a bone fracture is a complex process that occurs in several stages:
- Inflammation Phase (0-5 days) – The body responds to the injury with swelling and clot formation.
- Repair Phase (1-6 weeks) – New bone tissue, called callus, begins to form around the fracture site.
- Remodelling Phase (6 weeks – several months) – The new bone strengthens and reshapes to restore its original structure.
Healing time depends on factors like age, overall health, and the type of bone fracture. Children tend to heal faster than adults, while bone fractures in weight-bearing bones (like the femur) may take longer.
Expert Fracture Management at Our Clinic
Our physiotherapists are highly experienced in bone fracture management and can assist from the moment the injury occurs. We are able to fit a range of devices to protect and support the fracture, including:
- Cam walkers and moon boots to immobilise lower limb fractures while allowing some mobility.
- Rigid sandals for forefoot fractures to provide stability.
- Joint immobilising braces that function similarly to casting but allow for some flexibility in treatment.
- Splints for wrist and finger fractures to ensure proper positioning during healing.
- Crutches fitting and gait training to offload the affected area and promote a safe recovery.
By addressing the fracture immediately with the right support, we help minimise complications and ensure a smoother recovery process.
Why Physiotherapy is Essential for Fracture Recovery
While bones heal naturally, physiotherapy helps ensure they heal correctly and that you regain full function. Here’s how physio plays a key role in your recovery:
1. Reducing Stiffness and Swelling
After a fracture, joints around the injury often become stiff due to immobilisation (such as being in a cast or splint). Physiotherapy includes gentle movements and manual therapy to reduce stiffness and prevent complications like frozen joints.
2. Restoring Strength and Mobility
Muscle weakness is common after a fracture since the affected limb is often immobilised for weeks. A structured exercise program helps rebuild muscle strength and improves joint movement, ensuring a full return to normal function.
3. Preventing Muscle Wasting (Atrophy)
When a limb is immobilised, muscles start shrinking due to lack of use. Physiotherapy introduces safe, progressive exercises to maintain as much muscle strength as possible during healing.
4. Improving Balance and Coordination
For fractures affecting the legs or hips, balance and coordination can be compromised. Physiotherapists provide targeted exercises to restore stability, reducing the risk of future falls.
5. Managing Pain Without Relying on Medication
Physiotherapy techniques such as manual therapy, ice/heat therapy, and specific exercises help manage pain naturally, reducing the need for long-term medication use.
6. Gradual Return to Sports or Daily Activities
For athletes or active individuals, jumping back into sports too soon can lead to re-injury. Physiotherapists create a personalised return-to-sport plan to ensure safe participation without setbacks.
Patient Case Study: Matt’s Recovery from a Tibial Fracture
Matt, a 42-year-old mountain biker, suffered a tibial (shin bone) fracture after a high-speed crash. He underwent surgery to stabilise the bone with screws and a plate. After six weeks in a cast, Matt came to our clinic for physiotherapy, he was referred by his surgeon who wanted us to fit a knee range of motion brace and begin treating the stiffness, weakness, pain and difficulty with walking.
Matt’s Physiotherapy Journey
- Early Stage (Weeks 6-8):
- Transition from a cast to a knee range of motion brace, where we could begin to increase his available knee joint range of motion
- Gentle range-of-motion exercises to restore knee, ankle and mobility.
- Light weight-bearing exercises to gradually reintroduce walking with use of canadian crutches.
- Swelling management using ice therapy and compression.
- We used a Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine also at this time as Matt was not keen on taking medication
- Mid-Stage (Weeks 9-12):
- Strength training with resistance bands, gym equiptment and body weight exercises. (Such as leg press, knee extension machine, hamstring curl machine, calf raise machine, hip abduction/ adduction machine).
- Gait retraining to correct his walking pattern.
- Proprioceptive exercises to improve balance and coordination. We used an aqua bag in various positions to challenge Matt.
- Advanced Stage (Weeks 13-20):
- Progressive loading exercises, including heavy squats, legpress and lunges. The goal was for Matt to achieve 1.8x his body weight for a smith machine back squat and also on a single limb leg press machine.
- Return-to-sport drills tailored to mountain biking, focusing on endurance and agility.
- Plyometric exercises to rebuild explosive power and confidence in his leg.
By the five-month mark, Matt was back on his mountain bike, riding with confidence and no lingering pain. His commitment to physiotherapy allowed him to regain full function and prevent future complications.
Tips for a Smooth Fracture Recovery
If you’ve suffered a fracture, here are some key tips to optimise your recovery:
- Follow your doctor’s advice – Adhere to weight-bearing restrictions and don’t rush the healing process.
- Stick to your physiotherapy program – Consistency is key for regaining strength and mobility. Did you know, that by doing strength training on your opposite (unaffected) limb, you will gain 15% of strength on your affected limb. Under the guidance of your physiotherapist, you should still continue to maintain your conditioning whilst your fracture is healing to reduce the amount of rehabiliation you will need to do once the bone fracture has healed.
- Eat a nutrient-rich diet – Calcium, vitamin D, and protein support bone healing.
- Get Enough Sleep – Sleeping is crucial for our bodies to repair, skipping this could lead to a longer recovery.
- Stay active within safe limits – Movement helps prevent stiffness and muscle loss.
- Be patient – Healing takes time, but with the right approach, you’ll get back to doing what you love.
- Don’t smoke – the research has shown that smoking inhibits our body to heal, therefore vaping or smoking cigarettes is going to set your recovery back.
Final Thoughts
Bone fractures can be frustrating, but with the right rehabilitation approach, you can recover fully and regain strength, mobility, and confidence. Physiotherapy plays a critical role in ensuring a safe and effective recovery, helping you return to daily activities and sports without complications. If you or someone you know has suffered a fracture, reach out to one of our physiotherapists to kickstart the healing journey. Call us on 9806 3077 today.
References and Further Reading
- Australian Physiotherapy Association – www.physiotherapy.asn.au
- Better Health Channel – Fractures – www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
- The Bone & Joint Journal – www.bjj.boneandjoint.org.uk
- Sports Medicine Australia – www.sma.org.au
- Our Clinic’s Blog – Recovery from Fractures – www.ourclinic.com.au/fracture-recovery