Bones are designed to be strong and withstand a certain amount of stress. They can bend a little to prevent injury. However, if the force is too great, bones can fracture -- a break in the bone. This may appear as a crack that penetrates partway through the bone, or the injury may snap the bone entirely. There are various types of bone fracture. Comminuted fractures occur when the bone breaks into more than two fragments.
It takes a lot of force to cause a bone to break. It takes even more force to shatter it into several fragments. Therefore, comminuted fractures are usually caused by high-impact injuries. Road traffic collisions occurring at higher speeds are a common cause of comminuted fractures. This type of break is also often seen after a fall from a significant height. Gunshot injuries can also lead to comminuted fractures.
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