Broken bones often start to heal on their own, but physicians usually help the process by setting the fracture. When the break is a clean one with little soft tissue damage, physicians set the break in a process called closed reduction. The bone is realigned, and you are given a cast or splint to wear.

If you have an open wound, with bone sticking through the skin, you will require surgery. This process is called an open reduction, and physicians may need to use pins, screws or plates to hold the bone in place during healing.

For fractures involving the joints, including the hip or knee, you or your child may need a joint replacement and several weeks of physical therapy.