Which fracture occurs when the bone is splintered or crushed?

• A. Compression fracture
• B. Depressed fracture
• C. Comminuted fracture
• D. Impacted fracture

Answer: (C)

When a bone splits into multiple pieces or is crushed into fragments, that pattern is a comminuted fracture. The key idea here is fragmentation—there are several fragments rather than a clean break. This often results from high-energy trauma and can make alignment restoration and healing more complex, sometimes needing surgical fixation. On imaging, you’d see multiple bone fragments around the fracture site. By contrast, other fracture types involve different patterns: a compression fracture means the vertebral body has collapsed under axial load; a depressed fracture pushes a fragment inward, typical of the skull; and an impacted fracture occurs when one end is driven into the other.