they may shift further. Mechanism Traumatic fracture – a fracture due to sustained trauma. e.g., fractures caused by a fall, road traffic accident, fight, etc. Pathologic fracture – a fracture through a bone that has been made weak by some underlying disease is called pathological fracture. e.g., a fracture through a bone weakened by metastasis. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of pathological fracture. Periprosthetic fracture – a fracture at the point of mechanical weakness at the end of an implant. Soft-tissue involvement Closed/simple fractures are those in which the overlying skin is intact Open/compound fractures involve wounds that communicate with the fracture, or where fracture hematoma is exposed, and may thus expose bone to contamination. Open injuries carry a higher risk of infection. Reports indicate an incidence of infection after internal fixation of closed fracture of 1-2%, rising to 30% in open fractures. Clean fracture Contaminated fracture Displacement Non-displaced Displaced Translated, or ad latus, with sideways displacement. Angulated Rotated Shortened, a reduction in overall bone length when displaced fracture fragments overlap Fracture pattern Linear fracture – a fracture that is parallel to the bone's long axis Transverse fracture – a fracture that is at a right angle to the bone's long axis Oblique fracture – a fracture that is diagonal to a bone's long axis (more than 30°) Spiral fracture – a fracture where at least one part of the bone has been twisted Compression fracture/wedge fracture – usually occurs in the vertebrae, for example when the front portion of a vertebra in the spine collapses due to osteoporosis (a medical condition which causes bones to become brittle and susceptible to fracture, with or without trauma) Impacted fracture – a fracture caused when bone fragments are driven into each other Avulsion fracture – a fracture where a fragment of bone is separated from the main mass Fragments Incomplete fracture – a fracture in which the bone fragments are still partially joined, in such cases, there is a crack in the osseous tissue that does not completely traverse the width of the bone. Complete fracture – a fracture in which bone fragments separate completely. Comminuted fracture – a fracture in which the bone has broken into several pieces. Anatomical location An anatomical classification may begin with specifying the involved body part, such as the head or arm, followed by more specific localization. Fractures that have additional definition criteria than merely