What is a Fracture of the Olecranon?
The olecranon is that portion of the ulna (lower arm bone) that makes up the bony posterior surface or prominence of the elbow. Frequently the fracture will separate because of the pull of the triceps muscle of the arm, and a gap can be felt between the fractured ends. There are many different types of fractures: • Complete fracture: the broken bone is completely separated at the break. • Incomplete fracture: the broken bone is not completely separated at the break. • Comminuted fracture: there are more than two fragments of bone at the fracture. • Open or compound fracture: the fracture site is open to air because one end of the bone has broken through the skin. • Closed fracture: neither end of the bone has broken through the skin. • Compression fracture: the break occurs when the bone collapses into itself. • Impacted fracture: the broken ends are driven into each other, similar to the compression fracture. • Avulsion fracture: the breaking force has been applied in such a way that
