What happens when you break a bone?

The skeletal system is made up of 206 bones, hard dense tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Bones have adapted over time to provide support for the body, anchor muscles and allow them to contract, and allow limbs to move. read more

A broken bone occurs if there is too much pressure put on a bone too suddenly. A fracture is the technical term for a break in the bone, which is why there's sometimes confusion between the two phrases. The most common broken bone is the clavicle or collarbone, followed by a break in the arm, then the wrist, then the hip. read more

Bone repair begins within just a few hours of the injury. You get a healthy swelling around the break as a blood clot starts to form. Your immune system sends in cells that act like trash collectors -- they get rid of small bone pieces and kill any germs. Also, you grow blood vessels into the area to help the healing process. read more