A broken bone is one of the few orthopaedic problems where timing genuinely matters. Some fractures can wait a week for a planned operation. Others — a hip fracture in an elderly patient, an open fracture, a fracture with a compromised blood supply — need treating within hours.

Knowing which is which is the most useful thing a specialist provides in the first 24 hours. Dr Sunil Choudhary, FRCS (Trauma & Orthopaedics), and this page covers bone injury treatment in Faridabad for fractures around the knee, hip and shoulder.

When a bone injury needs urgent attention

  • Obvious deformity of a limb, or a bone visible through the skin — go to an emergency department immediately
  • Inability to bear weight after a fall, particularly in an older person
  • Severe pain with swelling and bruising developing rapidly
  • Numbness, pins and needles, or a cold pale limb below the injury — this is an emergency
  • A wound over a suspected fracture — an open fracture needs antibiotics and surgery urgently
  • Pain after a minor fall in someone over 60 — fragility fractures occur with surprisingly little force

Fractures we treat

Hip fractures

The most time-critical fracture in orthopaedics. In an older adult, a displaced femoral neck fracture should be fixed or replaced within 24 to 48 hours wherever the patient is medically fit. Delay increases the risk of chest infection, pressure sores, clots and death. Depending on the fracture pattern and the patient’s prior mobility, treatment is internal fixation, partial hip replacement, or a total hip replacement.

Fractures around the knee

Tibial plateau fractures, distal femoral fractures and patellar fractures. These involve the joint surface, so restoring that surface accurately is what determines whether the knee develops arthritis later.

Shoulder and upper arm fractures

Proximal humerus fractures are common after a fall onto an outstretched hand, particularly in older women. Many are treated without surgery in a sling, with early movement. Complex displaced fractures may need fixation, shoulder hemiarthroplasty or, in older patients, reverse shoulder replacement, which gives more reliable function than hemiarthroplasty in that age group.

Clavicle and acromioclavicular injuries

Common in cycling and contact sports. Most clavicle fractures heal without surgery; fixation is considered for significantly displaced or shortened fractures, open fractures, or in athletes needing a predictable return.

Periprosthetic fractures

A fracture in the bone around an existing joint replacement. These are complex, requiring a decision between fixing the fracture and revising the implant — and they need a surgeon who performs revision arthroplasty.

Fragility fractures — the ones that signal something more

If you are over 50 and break a bone from a fall at standing height or less, that is a fragility fracture, and it is a warning. It usually means underlying osteoporosis, and it substantially raises the risk of a further, often more serious fracture.

In practice, this is routinely missed: the wrist is treated, the plaster comes off, and nobody investigates why a bone broke from a minor fall. As a best bone injury doctor in Faridabad I treat the fracture and also arrange bone-density assessment and referral for medical management where indicated. Treating the fracture without treating the cause means seeing the same patient again with a broken hip.

How fractures are treated

Without surgery

Many fractures heal well in a cast, brace or sling, provided they are in acceptable position and stable. This is often the right answer, and it needs follow-up X-rays to confirm the position is maintained as swelling settles.

With surgery

Surgery is used when the fracture involves a joint surface and needs anatomical reduction, when it is unstable, when it will not heal reliably, when the blood supply is compromised, or when early mobilisation is more important than anything else — as in hip fractures in the elderly. Techniques include plates and screws, intramedullary nails, and joint replacement where the bone cannot be reconstructed.

Recovery after a fracture

Most fractures take six to twelve weeks to unite, longer in the lower limb and in older patients, smokers and people with diabetes. Stiffness and muscle wasting around the injury are usually the longer-lasting problems, and physiotherapy is what resolves them. Smoking significantly delays bone healing — stopping, even temporarily, makes a measurable difference.

Frequently asked questions about fractures

How do I know if it is broken or just sprained?

You often cannot tell without an X-ray. Features that make a fracture more likely: inability to bear weight or use the limb, bony tenderness at one specific point, deformity, and rapid swelling. If in doubt, get an X-ray — a missed fracture treated as a sprain can heal badly.

Can a fracture heal crooked?

Yes, and this is called malunion. Some degree of imperfect alignment is tolerated well in certain bones; in others, particularly where a joint surface is involved, it causes stiffness, deformity and later arthritis. This is why position is checked with follow-up X-rays rather than assumed.

Does metalwork need to be removed later?

Usually not. Plates, screws and nails are generally left in place permanently unless they cause irritation, pain or infection. Removal is a second operation with its own risks, so it is not done routinely.

Why did I break a bone from such a small fall?

That is the definition of a fragility fracture and it usually indicates reduced bone density. It should prompt a bone-density scan and assessment for osteoporosis treatment, because the risk of a further fracture is significantly raised.

Where is fracture treatment available in Faridabad?

Emergency and planned fracture surgery at Dr. Sunil Choudhary’s Bone & Joints Clinic, with outpatient review — the bone injury clinic in Faridabad for fractures of the knee, hip and shoulder.

Author & Medical Review

Medically reviewed by Dr. Sunil Choudhary, MBBS, MS, DNB, MRCS, FRCS (Tr & Orth).