Broken and fractured bones are amongst the most common injuries people can suffer. They can vary from minor hairline fractures to severe breaks that require surgery to treat. Whilst any bone in the body can break, certain bones are more vulnerable to fractures and breaks than others due to their position, function, and involvement in common accidents.
Knowing which bones are most likely to break, how fractures vary in severity, and what to expect from a personal injury claim can make a difficult situation easier to manage. If you’ve suffered a broken bone due to an accident, understanding your rights can help you get the compensation you deserve.
What are the most commonly broken bones?
While fractures and breaks can occur in any part of the body, some bones are more susceptible to breaks than others. Here are the five most common fractures and broken bones and why they often happen:
1. Clavicle (Collarbone)
The collarbone, medically called the clavicle, is a slender bone that runs from the centre of your upper chest to your shoulders (you have two of them). It is the most commonly broken bone, especially in children.
Because of its position and function, the collarbone is typically the easiest bone to break and is vulnerable to direct impacts from falls (especially if you fall with your arms outstretched), sports injuries, and accidents involving vehicles. A broken clavicle often results in significant pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the arm.
2. Arm bones (Humerus, Radius, and Ulna)
Fractures and breaks of the arm bones, including the humerus (the single bone in your upper arm) and the radius and ulna (the two main bones in your forearm), are very common.
Breaks in your arm bones often happen due to falls or high-impact injuries such as those sustained in sports or car accidents. Broken arms can range from minor hairline fractures to severe compound fractures requiring ongoing surgery.
3. Wrist bones
There are eight small bones in your wrists. Their small size makes them vulnerable to breaks, especially in young people playing sports and older people suffering from osteoporosis (a weakening of bones over time).
Regardless of age, the most common cause of breaking a wrist bone is falling onto an outstretched hand. These breaks often require immobilisation with a cast or splint. In severe cases, surgery may be needed to pin and realign the bones.
4. Hip bone
Made up of three parts (the ilium, pubis, and ischium) the hip bone is a large and robust bone that rarely breaks in younger people. It is more commonly broken in older adults, especially those with osteoporosis.
Hip breaks and fractures often result from falls and typically require surgery to repair. Breaking your hip can have serious long-term consequences, including reduced mobility and an increased risk of complications such as blood clots and infections.
5. Ankle bones
There are three around the ankle joint (the fibula, tibia, and talus) and all are vulnerable to breaks due to the fact that ankles are slender and support most of our body weight.
Ankle fractures and breaks are most commonly caused by twisting accidents or injuries (like going over on your ankle), falls, and impact accidents. These injuries can range from minor fractures that heal with support to more severe breaks that require surgery to restore mobility. Ankle fractures can be particularly debilitating due to the role ankles play in mobility and weight-bearing. It can lead to long-term, persistent injuries.
What is the hardest bone to break?
The femur, or thigh bone, is generally considered the strongest and hardest bone to break in the human body. The femur is a thick bone that supports the body’s weight, making it highly resistant to breaks. However, when a femur does break, it’s usually due to extreme trauma, such as a road traffic accident or a high-impact fall.
Femur fractures are usually severe injuries that typically require surgical intervention, including the use of metal rods or plates to stabilise the bone. The recovery period for a femur fracture is often lengthy, and patients may require extensive rehabilitation to regain full mobility.
What is the most painful bone to break?
While all breaks cause pain, some bones are particularly painful to break due to their function, nerve endings, and healing process. The following three are usually considered the most painful bones to break:
1. Femur (thigh bone)
A femur fracture is extremely painful due to the bone’s size and the significant force required to break it. It takes a lot to break a femur, but when such an injury occurs, the pain is often excruciating. Patients typically require strong pain management alongside immediate medical attention.
2. Coccyx (Tailbone)
Breaking your tailbone or coccyx (the last bone of your spine), is notoriously painful as it affects sitting, standing, and movement. Since the coccyx is located at the base of the backbone, there are limited treatment options and recovery can be slow and uncomfortable.
3. Ribs
Rib fractures are painful because the pain can often be felt when breathing, coughing, laughing and moving. Unlike many other fractures, broken ribs can’t be placed in a cast, meaning patients need to endure the discomfort or pain as the bones are healing. Even simple tasks, like getting dressed or rising from bed can become difficult. In severe cases, broken ribs can even puncture the lungs or other internal organs, leading to serious complications.
How do you know if you’ve broken a bone?
Spotting the signs of a broken or fractured bone is important to make sure you get the right medical treatment as soon as possible. This is especially true for smaller bones, like those in the ankle, where breaks can sometimes be missed.
Common signs that you may have broken a bone include:
- Intense pain at the site of injury
- Swelling and bruising
- Deformity or an unusual angle of the bones
- Difficulty or inability to move the affected area
- A grinding or snapping sensation at the time of injury
Some breaks and fractures are less severe than others and can be easily overlooked. It’s important to understand that not all breaks can be immediately obvious, especially less severe fractures.
Broken bones neither break nor heal all in the same way. There are different types of fractures, each with its own challenges and treatment needs.
- Hairline fractures: Small cracks in a bone that can be easily mistaken for a sprain. Hairline fractures often heal with rest and immobilisation.
- Simple fractures/breaks: Clean breaks in a bone that don’t pierce the skin. Simple fractures are typically treated with casts or splints.
- Compound fractures/breaks: Severe breaks where the bone protrudes through the skin. Compound fractures require immediate medical attention and often surgical intervention.
If you’ve hurt yourself, and if you’re in any doubt over whether a bone is broken or not, you should seek medical attention right away. An X-ray is usually the best way to tell whether a bone is broken.
Can you make a compensation claim for a broken bone?
While some fractures are purely accidental, others may result from negligence, such as those caused by an accident in the workplace or on the road. If you’ve suffered a broken bone and it was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim to seek compensation.
To make a personal injury claim, you need to be able to prove that your broken bone was caused by another party’s negligence. For example, a car accident caused by another driver, an unsafe work environment, or inadequate safety measures put in place.
Typically, you have three years from the date of the injury to make a compensation claim, however, exceptions may sometimes apply. Seeking legal advice as soon as possible is one of the best ways to ensure your claim is successful.
How Can Injury Lawyers 4u help?
If you’ve suffered a broken bone in an accident that wasn’t your fault, we may be able to help you pursue a broken bone compensation claim. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers have decades of experience in injury cases, from scaphoid wrist breaks to spinal fractures.
We can guide you through the claims process, helping you receive the fair compensation you deserve and allowing you to focus on your broken bone recovery. With our no win, no fee promise, you won’t pay any legal fees unless your broken bone compensation claim is successful, meaning there’s no financial risk to you. Our compensation calculator will give you an idea of how much you could claim in general damages.
If you’ve suffered a break or fracture due to someone else’s negligence, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. Call us on 0333 400 4445 or fill in a contact form and we’ll get back to you right away.