There are many ways for bones in the human body to break. People who fall or get hurt in car crashes sustain stable fractures. The bone remains in place and properly aligned despite the break.
Other people have more serious fractures due to the amount of force exerted on the bone or bone weakness caused by medical issues, such as age-related osteoporosis. Comminuted fractures are among the worst broken bones that people can sustain. A comminuted fracture occurs when the bone breaks into many small pieces.
Comminuted fractures tend to cost many times more than simple, stable fractures. What factors contribute to the expense generated by comminuted fractures?
1. Higher care requirements
A simple fracture is easy for doctors to set in most cases. Patients have to pay for imaging tests, cast application, cast removal and possibly physical therapy. Comminuted fractures are different. They typically require at least one surgery to set and reinforce the broken bone. Additional procedures may be necessary to remove medical implants after the bone heals.
2. Lost wages and earning potential
Severe fractures may take much longer than the baseline eight weeks of recovery estimated after some simple fractures. The injured person could miss months of work. In addition to the wages they cannot earn during their treatment and recovery, they may also face the loss of long-term earning potential due to their protracted absences from work. Even if they don’t lose their jobs, their extended absence could affect wage increases and promotion opportunities in the future.
3. Long-term symptoms
Comminuted fractures tend to leave body parts weaker even after healing. Not only do people lose muscle when they rest a body part so it recovers, but they may find that it remains weaker permanently despite their best efforts. Nerve damage, reduced range of motion and scar tissue can all contribute to reduced functional use of a body part after a comminuted fracture. That can leave people struggling to perform their jobs or reliant on others for support for day-to-day activities.
People who sustained catastrophic injuries, such as comminuted fractures, due to car crashes, criminal assaults or slip-and-falls may have grounds for personal injury insurance claims or lawsuits. Seeking compensation typically requires a realistic estimate of total losses and credible claims that another party is at fault for the fracture at issue.