Healing Non-union and Chronic Fractures
A nonunion fracture occurs when a broken bone does not heal. Bones have a tremendous capacity for healing themselves, and with proper treatment, most all fractures will heal without complication. However, some fractured bones have difficulty healing.

Symptoms

1) Swelling
2) Pain
3) Tenderness
4) Deformity
5) Difficulty bearing weight

Causes

Determining the cause of a nonunion is critical to determining the proper treatment. The most common causes of nonunion are:

1) Infection
2) Inadequate blood flow to the bone
3) Separation of the fractured ends of the bone
4) Inadequate stabilization of the fracture


Western medicine treatment

The treatment of a nonunion fracture depends on the cause of the problem. Treatment may involve surgery to remove infection, to better stabilize the fracture, or to stimulate bone growth with bone graft. Only once the cause of the nonunion is understood can proper treatment be initiated. The Treatments include:

Medical

In some cases, union can be achieved without surgery. Several non-invasive methods are available, such as electrical stimulation or specialized braces.

Surgical

Most non-unions require surgery.

Adopted from Wei Laboratories, Inc.