How does bone healing occur?

One of the most widely accepted myths about bone is that it is dead, unchanging matter. However, your bone is constantly changing every second of the day as new bone cells replace old cells, just as your dead skin cells are brushed off but are continually replaced.

The healing process of broken bones is also very similar to the healing process of skin. As soon as a bone breaks, a jacket of cells forms around the fracture (a broken bone) called a callus, in the same way skin forms a scab jacket of new cells around broken skin. Unfortunately, the callus only provides for protection from infections and such but further damage can be done if not kept in a cast. A cast is put on to keep the bone straight while healing and also it is said that by applying pressure on it the bone heals quicker. Many times the cast will be put on in such a way that you are still able to use it. This is because bone, like muscle, grows in thickness and endurance when used.

Although bone cells reproduce faster when repairing yet it still takes a long time to fully heal. In young children, while bones are still developing, repairs and healing are done fairly quickly. However as you age, healing tends to take longer. By adolescence, bones are hardened to an extent so bones are more complete. Mending in teenagers requires 6-8 weeks in a cast while after you're 60 or over breaks occur much more easily. Sometimes just the slightest stress on a bone can break it, and then repairs are made slowly and sometimes imperfectly. However, when fractures in bone are healed with the right amount of time and nutrients to aid in it, the break or breaks in the bone cannot even be seen with an x-ray.