Some Facts Regarding Fractures

 As the bones break down, they release minerals which are carried in the blood to various sites -for example, calcium helps skeletal, heart and involuntary muscles to contract. Dissolved bone tissue is immediately replaced by new crystals derived from fresh blood coming into the bones via osteoblasts. Osteocytes provide enzymes that facilitate the ongoing turnover process.

Cuts, burns, bruises and fractures heal on their own, provided the blood supply to them is intact. The speed at which fractures recover also depends on the body's own healing power, which is dependent on general health. After an injury involving broken bones, the outer layer or bone surface, which is relatively inactive under normal conditions, becomes alive and forms a collar of cartilage and bone around the break this closes off the internal pan of the fracture where, with the participation of osteoblasts, cartilage and spongy bone tissue are formed. These develop into new bone matrix which consolidates the fractured area. Over a period of time the repair is total, and the newly healed area becomes even stronger than the original bone.

Normal bone growth and maintenance cannot take place without a constant supply of dietary calcium and phosphate salts. Other minerals such as magnesium, iron, fluoride and manganese are also required. Additionally, the hormone calcitriol, produced by the kidneys, is essential for normal calcium and phosphate ion absorption in the digestive tract.

 Calcitriol synthesis is dependent on vitamin D, which is either synthesized by the skin, when exposed to the sun, or absorbed from dietary sources. Vitamin C is also essential in bone repair, while vitamins A, K and B12 are necessary for synthesizing proteins in bones. Vegans and strict vegetarians are lacking in fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), which are found in animal proteins, so their bones tend to heal poorly.