Fracture in which one bone fragment is wedged into the interior of another fragment.

Fracture in which one bone fragment is wedged into the interior of another fragment.

• A. Humerus
• B. Spiral fracture
• C. Impacted fracture
• D. Simple fracture

Answer: (C)

An impacted fracture is when one bone fragment is driven into another by a compressive (axial) force. This wedging of fragments occurs as the ends of the bone are pressed together, often with little external displacement but sometimes with a shortened or compressed appearance. This differs from a spiral fracture, which results from a twisting force creating a spiral-shaped break along the bone, and from a simple fracture, which is a clean break into two pieces without the fragment wedging into another. A bone name like the humerus isn’t a fracture type itself.

An impacted fracture is when one bone fragment is driven into another by a compressive (axial) force. This wedging of fragments occurs as the ends of the bone are pressed together, often with little external displacement but sometimes with a shortened or compressed appearance. This differs from a spiral fracture, which results from a twisting force creating a spiral-shaped break along the bone, and from a simple fracture, which is a clean break into two pieces without the fragment wedging into another. A bone name like the humerus isn’t a fracture type itself.