Broken bones are more common than they seem. An average person is expected to have at least two fractures in a lifetime. A fracture is any crack or breaks in the bone that disrupts the continuity of the bone. Human bones are by nature strong and rigid and do not break easily due to external pressure. A fracture happens when a physical force (that is greater than the bone itself) is exerted on the bone. It can lead to a complete or partial breaking of the bone. The most common fractures are fractures of the clavicle (collarbone), ankle, hip, ulna, and radius. Homeopathic remedies for fractures boosts the proliferation (rapid increase) of osteoblast cells (bone forming cells) and helps speed up the bone-healing process.
Heal Broken Bones Fast with Homeopathy
Homeopathy helps in the formation of healthy callus, and they also boost the activity of proliferation of the osteoblast cells (bone forming cells). Certain medicines also help speed up the process of laying a new bone. These medicines are made of natural substances and can treat fractures effectively, without any side effects. These are usually used once the broken bone has been set in proper alignment. They then work to optimize the natural healing process of the body for a quicker, stronger bone healing.
Some of the best medicines for fractures include Symphytum Officinale, Arnica Montana, Calcarea Phos, Silicea, and Calendula Officinalis. These are natural remedies for the pain of broken bones.
Homeopathy for fracture help in reducing the pain and swelling at the site of the fracture. In fractures where there is slow bone healing, remedies like a dosage of Symphytum works well.
Homeopathic Remedies for Fractures
1. Symphytum Officinale – Top Remedy for Bone Healing
One of the best medicines for fractures is Symphytum Officinale. Also known as knit-bone, it is widely recommended as the first line of treatment of fractures. Symphytum Officinale is a natural and highly effective medicine that boosts the activity of fibroblasts cells and helps in healing the fractured bone. It also helps with the production of callous and treats irritability and pricking pains at the point of the fracture site. It is also a suitable medicine for hairline fractures.
Symphytum is a healing herb that is used in different potencies to help accelerate the healing of a broken bone. As a natural substance, it causes no side-effects and is used to treat fractures that cause immense pain.
2. For Fractures where there is Excessive Pain
Arnica Montana is a medicine for fractures which cause immense swelling and pain at the site of the fracture. The affected site is sore to touch and bruised. Fractures that occur from a fall or those caused as a result of an injury by a blunt instrument are treated with Arnica. This medicine is also used to treat old bone injuries.
3. For Fractures that Heal Slowly
Calcarea Phos is a medicine for fractures that are slow to heal. It is used to treat remote fractures and helps hasten the bone repair process in cases where the bone has not joined for a long time. Calcarea Phos provides calcium and phosphate, two elements required for quick union of the bone. It also promotes the formation of callus.
4. For Bone Fractures and Brittle Bones
Silicea is a medicine for fractures of brittle bones that get fractured often. Silicea strengthens weak bones and prevents them from getting fractured frequently. It is commonly used to treat and manage osteoporosis and other bone problems such as caries, necrosis, and exostosis.
5. For Compound and Suppurating Fractures
Calendula Officinalis is a medicine for fractures where the skin covering the fractured site becomes raw, red and inflamed. There may be a copious discharge of pus along with stinging pains. This medicine is used to treat compound fractures (where the broken bone pierces the skin) and also to prevent gangrene.
Causes of Fractures
Most of the fractures result from trauma, falls and accidents. In the case of athletes, fractures are caused by repeated stress and strains on the bones. These are known as stress factors. Children and older adults are also prone to fractures due to their age. There are growth plates (epiphyseal plates) present in a child’s bones located at the ends of long bones. These help with the length-wise growth of bones. Furthermore, a child’s bones are surrounded by the periosteum (thick fibrous sheath) which helps increase the thickness of the bones. These components make a child’s bones more ‘bendable,’ meaning that a bone bends a lot before breaking.
In adults, the periosteum is much thinner, and so the bones don’t bend under pressure and tend to break.
Older adults get fractures more often than young people because, with age, their bones become weak and brittle. Joint problems also lead to a high risk of falling and breaking bones. Apart from this, some medical conditions predispose a person to recurrent fractures. Certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, endocrine disorders, osteogenesis imperfecta (a genetic disorder where the bones are brittle, fragile and break easily).
Fractures: Risk Factors
Lifestyle factors like consuming excessive alcohol, smoking, and taking steroids also tend to make the bones brittle and are prominent risk factors that predispose a person towards fractures.
Link between Smoking and Fractures
Due to the impact it has on the hormonal levels, smoking is a risk factor for fractures. Research conducted decades ago still stands; smoking is a risk factor for bone loss.
Link between Alcohol and Fractures
Consuming excessive alcohol is known to influence the bone mass and bone structure and mass. Research indicates that chronic drinking can increase the risk of bone loss and fractures, even after the person quits drinking. Excessive alcohol also affects the metabolism of vitamin D in the body.
Link between Steroids and Fractures
Chronic disorders like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis are linked to bone loss since they need frequent doses of steroids for management. People with chronic inflammatory bowel disease also have low bone density, since such issues reduce the ability of the GIT to absorb calcium.
Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed to treat chronic inflammatory conditions like IBS (inflammatory bowel disease), rheumatoid arthritis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Frequent doses of these steroids lead to side effects like hindering the absorption of calcium in the GIT (gastrointestinal tract) and increasing the loss of calcium through urine. It is a research-based fact that corticosteroids induce accelerated bone loss.
Recurring Fractures
Low-impact fractures in the past can double the risk of another fracture. Vertebral fractures in the spine can accurately predict future fractures and need to be monitored carefully.
Chronic Conditions and Fractures
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the cells and tissues around the joints, causing severe bone loss and damage to the joints. Certain steroids used for pain relief again trigger bone loss, and reduced physical activity as a consequence of the disease can further accelerate the risk of fractures.
Diabetes is another risk factor for fractures, although the exact causes behind this are not known. It is thought that high blood sugar levels can adversely affect bone quality due to metabolic changes.
Types of Fractures
Fractures are of different types. They are classified according to the severity, and whether the bone fragments are separated or joined together.
1. Open or Compound Fracture – A compound fracture is the one in which the bone breaks apart entirely and the ends of the fractured bones tear the skin, creating a wound. Open fractures are serious because they carry a risk of infection.
2. Closed or Simple Fracture – A simple fracture is a fracture in which the overlying skin remains intact and the broken bone does not tear through the skin.
3. Pathological Fracture – A pathological fracture arises from a weak bone, and there is an underlying disease or medical condition that causes the bones to be weak.
4. Complete Fracture – A fracture where the fragments of the broken bone separate completely is known as a compound fracture.
5. Incomplete fracture – A fracture where bone fragments remain partially joined is an incomplete fracture.
6. Hairline Fracture – A hairline fracture is the one where a thin crack appears on the bone, but it is not broken into fragments. The pain of a hairline fracture tends to intensify when the injured bone is strained. This restricts the amount of weight a person can put on the area around the hairline fracture.
Some common symptoms of a hairline fracture are tenderness, swelling and bruising.
7. Greenstick Fracture – A greenstick fracture is a fracture where the bone gets cracked and bent, but it does not break into separate pieces.
8. Single Fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks into two pieces at one place is known as a single fracture
9. Comminuted fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks into three or more pieces is known as a comminuted fracture.
10. Compression or Crush fracture – A fracture that occurs in the bones of the spine, often caused by osteoporosis, is known as a compression fracture.
11. Stress fracture – A stress fracture is common in athletes, and the bone breaks due to repeated stress and strains. Stress fractures are essentially tiny cracks in a bone caused by a repetitive force. Conditions like osteoporosis also can also cause stress fractures due to the weakening of the bones.
12. Transverse Fracture – When the line of the fracture line is perpendicular to the shaft of bone, it is known as a transverse fracture.
13. Longitudinal Fracture – A fracture where the bone breaks along its length is known as a longitudinal fracture
14. Oblique Fracture – An oblique fracture is a slanted break that occurs diagonally along the long axis of the bone.
Symptoms of a Fracture
Fractures are painful, and they usually come with swelling around the site where the bone is broken.
The main symptoms of a fracture include:
- intense pain and swelling at the site of the fractured bone.
- worsening of pain upon touching and moving the injured area.
- redness and bruising at the injured site.
- inability to move the affected area.
- inability to put weight on the affected area.
- bleeding in a case of an open fracture.
- dizziness, nausea, paleness in case of a long bone fracture.
How do fractures heal?
A broken bone starts repairing soon after a fracture. Immediately after a fracture, a blood clot (hematoma) forms around the broken bone. It acts as a temporary plug that fills the gap between the broken ends of the bone. Inside this clot, phagocytes (cells that protect the body) begin to clean the bone fragments and kill any germs that may have entered from the point of the bone breakage. This is followed by a proliferation of the chondroblast and fibroblast cells that transform the hematoma into a fibrocartilaginous tissue known as a soft callus. The soft-callus stage of the healing tissue lasts from the fourth day of the fracture to approximately three weeks. In the next step of the healing process, osteoblast cells begin to increase and create new bone cells that convert the soft callus into a hard bone callus. This stage of hard callus formation starts around weeks after the fracture and lasts for 6 – 12 weeks.
Following this, the process of bone remodeling begins, and the osteoclast cells break and absorb the extra bone. The bone remodeling process is long and can vary from 3 years to 9 years duration.
Tips to Manage a Healing Fracture
Broken bones tend to take a long time to heal, and treatment for fracture can help speed up the healing process. Some precautions that should be taken to help heal a fracture quickly include:
- Avoiding direct heat on the site of the fracture for pain relief till the cast has been set properly.
- Managing everyday movements carefully to prevent further injury. For example, crutches should be used carefully.
- The broken limb should not be moved too much, and adequate rest should be taken.
- Lifting heavy objects or driving should be avoided till the fracture has healed completely.
- Usually, the skin under a cast gets itchy, and it is a very common tendency to poke blunt objects inside it for relief. This should be prevented, as it can accidentally cause damage.
- The cast should not be allowed to get wet, as a damp cast tends to soften and does not provide adequate support. Damp plaster can also irritate the skin. While bathing or showering, the area can be kept watertight by wrapping the limb in a plastic bag.
- In case of swelling, loss of movement in toes or fingers, blueness, feeling of pins and needles, or increased pain, a doctor should be consulted.
Can Arnica Montana or Symphytum Officinale be used to lower extreme pain in 35 yo pregnant female with compound fracture of the ankle? Due to the pregnancy, there are few options the hospital has that won’t harm baby, who is about 12-16 weeks. 3 surgeries so far to clean wound and reset bones. TY
Sir
I (76 years age) have got a fracture slowly healing up since last one year. I have taken Symphytum 6x, 30 for 3-3 months and now taking symphytem 200 for last 15 days with Calcarea Phos 6x. But fracture is not fully healing up in one year. Please suggest proper medicine. Thanks
How often should I use Symphytum after dental implant?
Hello, we are pretty desperate about how to help my mother. She has re-fractured her sacrum with an insufficiency fracture . Arnica 200 and 1M do not work for her.
I’ve tried multiple remedies and it’s not working. She only wants non-allopathic approaches to healing and I am her daughter and want to support this..
Please help!
Why aren’t any of these questions answered? Why bother too even show the comments??
i agree- why aren’t any of these questions answered… The site is completely useless if there are no answers
Hello, it s 8 months since the fracture of my ankle. It is still swollen and painfull. I would like to ask you which remedies should I take . I am gratefull for your answer. Best regards, Suzana
My 93 year old mom fell and fractured her humorous in her right arm April 23. She has osteoporosis and osteo arthritis.
Does her arm need to be set before beginning remedys. She cannot see orthopedic until may 2. My question when to begin remedys and what protocol ( how much how often.)
Thank you
Do you charge money to answer question? Thank you. do you not give advice here. I don’t want to seem homeopathic answer to the phone from your question I have a fractured left wrist I just started taking Symphonitum today. also I am taking Arnica. but I want the correct protocol my bones have been reset manually and I have a cast.
Hello Dr. Sharma..I had an MRI of my leg ..it says Grade 3 stress reaction of the mid/distal tibia. I also have osteoporosis.
What do you suggest I take to help me strengthen my bones and heal ?
I appreciate your response. I have used Homeopathy for many years now. Currently, I am taking Arnica, Rhus Tox…internally and Cream
Additionally, my Vitamin B6 went really high thus resulting in some Neuropathy….so I get pins and needles and some painful moments in the fingers and toes.
Thank you!
Can I take all five medicine all together.
I have a minor spinal T7 compression fracture due to osteoporosis. I’m experiencing quite a bit of pain along the spine along with muscle pain. I have been looking at Silica to take, but because I have a plate installed in my wrist I worry about my body wanting to expel it because it is foreign. Should I be cautious here.
Sir,got to know obout a hair line fractureon rightt hip , had afall in october last ,pain is acute, was treated for sciatica .Am 78 years n fear going for surgery ,please help ,thank you
Sir I am 56 years old and having fracture oin my right heel. Arthopadic sergeon put temperary plaster due to swelling. It’s major Crack. Not too much pain but can’t put my leg on the floor. So please suggest me which medicine I should have to heal the brocken bone of heel.
Thanks & Regards
Devang Dave
Have a nice evening sir
9 months ago I been excidented and my femur in right leg broken , the doctors did distal femur surgery and fixed a plate with 10 screws but in 9 months only 60% callus has been done
What should I take to heal this bone soonly
Please advise me
Thank you. Which dose of Symphytum to take. Calc Phos too? I am 7 mths from a compression fracture at T12 that has not completely healed and still has bleeding into the bone seen on MRI Also pain at T1-3 and right rear shoulder area from collapse at C5-C6 .
Omg. I have the same. Undiagnosed for almost 8 months – T12 Compression fracture I injured from a Forceful jump onto a ceramic floor. . Starting physical therapy next week. These spasms are so exhausting. I am so worried my healing window was missed. I’d love to know what is your plan to healing?
Take wheezal drop three times daily
Hi Sir,
I had fallen down on 31st January, 2021 while participating in running race. I am 42 years old and doctor advised to go for MRI as X-Ray didn’t show any fractures. Please refer medicine in homeopathy referring to the MRI report below:
Findings:
There is subcutaneous oedema in the anterior aspect of the joint.
There is blood-fluid level in suprapatellar bursa-suggestive of haemarthrosis.
There is altered signal of Hoffa’s fat pad-suggestive of oedema.
There is undisplaced fracture of proximal tibia involving anterior aspect aspect of lateral tibial plateau, extending posteriorly up to the intercondylar region of posterior cortex with surrounding marrow oedema.
Distal femur, fibula amd patella are showing normal marrow signal intensity pattern.
IMPRESSION:
Undisplaced fracture of proximal tibia as described above.
Blood-fluid level in suprapatellar bursa-suggestive of haemarthrosis.
dear Dr.sahib.with respect ,my right knee boon got abrasian due to motor cycle,it is nearly one month last ,the knee area is still has swelling,while waking no pain but it is hard to ease the movement ,it is look like locked,please advice me,which medicine is required
thank you
What potency of arnica and/or symphytum would you recommend for stress fractures of metatarsal bones (from overuse as well as distortions to foot from hammertoes and bunion)? The pain is not severe, but I would like to get back to hiking. I am a 79-year-old female.
Doctor,
I fel dopdown in the house x-ray says fracture of L1 and L3 and lumber spondylosis
Anterior wedging of vertebral bodies of L1 and L3
I am 61 and went to the emergency room on 7/27/2020 due to excruciating pain I had an MRI and it showed I have a fracture on the right sacrum. I was prescribed Tylenol with codeine. Since 7/27/20 when I returned home from the hospital I have been on bed rest laying on my back there is no pain even turning on my right side there is no pain but when I sit up on the left side of the bed there is quite a bit of pain and can only sit for 1-2 minutes, when I sit up on the right side of the bed it is the same. I am morbidly obese 350 lbs, I am also diabetic I do have an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon for 8/11/20 but I don’t know how I am going to get there if I can only sit for 1-2 minutes plus I am incontinent I do believe in homepathic remedies so,I would appreciate any recommendations that you can advise me to try.
Sir, On 27.8.2019 in an accidental fall I experienced a neck pain.X ray CT MRI taken doctors diagnised as c6 wedge fracture.Recent MRI says c6 wedge fracture with minimal retropulsion.Can I have homeo treatment with out surgery. and become normal.Thanks a lot namasthe.
Hello Doctor
My father aged 74, is suffering from insufficiency fracture in hip region. He is experiencing excessive pain while walking. Please guide a suitable remedy for my father.