What is the difference between a fresh fracture and fracture nonunion?
The word “nonunion” means something special to an orthopedic surgeon. It means that the bone has failed to heal. A nonunion may occur for a number of reasons. Simple immobilization in a cast will not lead to healing of the bone. This scaphoid bone is particularly prone to this for several reasons: there is the possibility of the fracture being missed at the initial injury leading to a delay in treatment; secondly, the bone has a poor blood supply. The fact that it is inside the joint and is constantly being bathed by synovial fluid also contributes to the development of a nonunion. A nonunion, in other words, is a failure on the part of the patient’s bone to complete the healing process. A “false joint” occurs at the nonunion since the ends of the broken scaphoid are attached to ligaments at each end of the bone, further separating the fracture and preventing healing. The term “fresh fracture” is used when the injury is less than two to four weeks old. Although this is the optimum time
