A fracture is a crack or separation of a part of the bone, mostly caused by external force or fall. The main symptoms of fractures are pain, swelling, deformity, and inability to use the affected part normally. Fractures are typically diagnosed with a clinical examination followed by radiographic imaging.
However, there are cases where fractures may not be visible on standard X-rays initially, and other methods may be needed to confirm the diagnosis, such as Computed Tomography (CT) Scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The most important of these cases include:
1. Patients with osteoporosis, including the elderly and those with rheumatism.
2. Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes.
3. Patients with liver and kidney diseases.
4. Patients with immune diseases.
5. Scaphoid bone fractures in the wrist, where it’s crucial to advise the patient on the necessity of repeating the X-ray after a few days.
In these instances, the patient’s complaint of pain should not be ignored, and the cause should be investigated with more medical examinations, analyses, and repeated X-rays after some time.
Wishing you all good health and well-being.
Dr. Mahdi Abd Al-Sahib
Orthopedic surgeon
