This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Fractures easy to miss (general practice)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The following are fractures until proved otherwise:

  • impacted hip fractures - pain or walking difficulty after a fall in an elderly person
  • impacted fracture of humerus or distal radius - the degree of pain may be the only clue
  • greenstick fracture of forearm - degree of pain or typical site of pain especially in a child
  • wrist pain may be a scaphoid fracture (common cause of litigation against doctors because of the degree of permanent disability) - record whether there is scaphoid tenderness at the anatomical snuffbox - treat the tenderness as a fracture despite a normal Xray report
  • fractures of the lateral malleolus can be misdiagnosed as a sprain if swelling is extensive - if in doubt, refer
  • injuries in paralysed or unconscious patients or who have neuropathy, eg diabetes or MS, are very easy to miss
  • rib fractures occur twice as often as appear on Xrays. Treatment is usually unaffected.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.