If you encounter an injury or pain from a broken bone and want to know, “What is the best pain medicine for broken bones?” The good news is that there are many medications available to help you relieve pain and recover faster.
Whether you are experiencing mild or severe pain from a fracture, there are medications available. Find out more information about drugs and professional treatments right here!
Table of contents
What Is The Best Pain Medication For Broken Bones?
For people over 16 years old (adults)
In the case of people 16 years old or over with partially broken bones in their arms or legs, the following drugs can be used:
- Can use paracetamol in the form of a dropper straight into a vein or use morphine for severe pain.
- In cases of moderate pain, you can use codeine and paracetamol.
- Only use paracetamol for mild pain.
Generally, to reduce inflammation and pain, your doctor usually may suggest some over-the-counter medications, such as:
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.).
- Ibuprofen (Motrin IB, etc).
- In other cases, both drugs can be combined.
If you have severe pain, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). With this drug you take every 4 to 6 hours will bring effective pain relief.
It should be careful that these drugs will not always be suitable for everyone. Especially for the elderly, anti-inflammatory drugs carry many risks for them.
That’s why it’s important to be aware, and health care professionals need to be careful when giving morphine because it has some side effects such as drowsiness, nervousness, and constipation.
For people under 16 years old (children)
In the situation of people under the age of 16 who have broken a bone in an arm or leg, health professionals will often recommend medications such as:
- Severe pain symptoms can be treated with an opioid (ex: morphine), used in moderate to severe pain situations. Drops or injections can deliver this medication.
- For mild or moderate pain, ibuprofen or paracetamol can be used, or both can be used.
If a child has a fracture in the thigh bone, doctors in the emergency department may numb the thigh area with a local anesthetic.
Are There Any Other Treatments For Fractures Besides Medication?
Before proceeding with the choice of therapeutic drugs, you need to check and determine the fractured status. Fractures with mild and severe injuries will have different treatment modalities.
Refer to the following types of fracture:
Type | Description |
Compound (Open) fracture | In this type of fracture, the parts of the bone that break off go through the skin. This issue was diagnosed as a serious and urgent fracture. It would be better if you got treated as quickly as possible to avoid infection. |
Closed fracture | This type is also considered a serious condition, but the broken bone remains intact and does not penetrate other areas of the skin. |
Incomplete fracture | This fracture can easily be understood as a “chipped bone”. Specifically, the bones will be broken and split into two parts. |
Complete fracture | In this case, the broken bones have been broken into many different small parts. |
Displaced fracture | This fracture is a combination of fracture and dislocation. The broken joint is out of place and requires surgical intervention to realign it. |
Greenstick fracture | In this case, the bone will be cracked but not broken completely. This case is also the case with fractures in most children, otherwise known as blue fractures. It is called a blue bone fracture because children are young, so children’s bones are quite flexible and softer than that of older people. |
Method of setting leg
Regularly, treatment for broken legs will begin in the emergency clinic or emergency room area. Initially, the doctor will perform first aid and assess your injury.
The doctor will then place splints on your leg to keep it in place. If you have a displaced fracture, the doctor needs to fix the broken joints correctly before using the brace. The splint will usually help reduce swelling about a day before the cast.
Motionless
If you break your leg, the most important thing in the treatment process is limiting movement. In the process of powder or leg brace, you can use sticks or crutches to support the movement process. Crutches will help you withstand the body’s weight, avoiding heavier lesions.
Physical therapy exercises
Once the splint or cast is complete, you’ll need to participate in physical therapy exercises to help restore function to the leg muscles.
The recovery process after the wound has healed is a very important stage. It helps you rebalance every element of the leg, including the wound. Usually, it would be best to take a few months to complete this process, or more serious wounds will need longer.
Surgery and many other tasks
Many fracture cases will require surgery to proceed with correction and implantation of fixed devices inside. To shape broken bones can use screws, plates, rods, and more. The devices mentioned above can be used in the following cases:
- Displaced fracture
- Broken that extends into joint
- Multiple fractures
- Loose bone fragments
- A fracture in a specific area such as the femur or the shin of the leg
- Fracture into many parts
- Injuries related to ligaments
Not only that, but many cases also use external fixatives to help fix the leg skeleton for you. Internal and external immobilization devices are usually removed after about eight weeks, depending on your condition.
Assistive devices offer many benefits to you, but there are also some risks, such as being susceptible to infection around fixed objects.
FAQs
How many steps of bone healing?
The answer to this question is that there are four stages of broken bone healing included.
- The development of a hematoma at break
- The growth of a fibrocartilaginous callus
- The expansion of a bony callus
- Improvement and enhancement of compact bone
Is the fracture more serious at night?
There will be a drop in the hormone cortisol at night with many symptoms and side effects for your wound. Specifically, there will be less healing during the night, less inflammation, and the bones will be greatly affected at night.
What should people with broken bones not eat?
Foods to avoid with a broken bone include more sugar and salt, alcohol, caffeine, and red meat. The best recommendation is not to use alcohol during fracture treatment.
Conclusion
Right now, if someone asks you what is the best pain medication for broken bones, you can answer it after reading this article. Be carefully considering your injury situation to choose the right drugs.
Note that you should consult with your doctor or medical professional to ensure the safest and most effective treatment!
Last Updated on 2 years by George Morgan