Trauma and fracture care
Impactful solutions for complex fractures
We provide top-level orthopaedic trauma and fracture care, from simple and common to severe and complex cases. At Penn Medicine, you’ll benefit from a team approach to care that focuses on more than just your fracture. Multiple experts collaborate to develop a personalized care plan for each patient, with access to the resources and expertise at our Level 1 trauma centers.
Penn Orthopaedics takes a whole-body approach and surrounds you with a dedicated team that works to understand who you are, how you want to live, and what kind of care will get you there. Our goal is to help patients return to normal activities quickly with the right treatment and rehabilitation for their orthopaedic injury or fracture. If you need expert fracture care, contact us. If you are at another facility, you can ask to be transferred to Penn Medicine.
Conditions we treat
Surgical and nonsurgical approaches to healing fractures
Our surgeons specialize in musculoskeletal trauma, which includes the treatment of complex fractures and long-term rehabilitation for the hip, foot, ankle, hand, wrist, shoulder, elbow, and spine.
Once you receive imaging, we will work with you to determine the best course of action for treatment based on the type of fracture and your goals. While some fractures can heal with conservative treatment, others may require surgery. Our individualized treatment plans include advanced pain management that reduces opioid use and the risk of dependence by combining physical therapy, nonaddictive pain medication, and behavioral and cognitive therapy.
Surgery may be needed to realign a broken bone or repair an already set bone that is not healing properly. We may implant metal screws, pins, rods, or plates to hold the bone in place as it heals. When needed, plastic surgeons provide microvascular and reconstructive surgical techniques. We can perform complex surgical procedures that include reconstruction of damaged soft tissues that may accompany a fracture, such as torn tendons, ligaments, and muscles.
Some fractures do not require surgery. Once we review your X-rays, we may choose to immobilize the joint or bone with a splint, cast, or brace. This is done to prevent an injured area from moving while it heals.
Specialized hip fracture care for older adults
Geriatric hip fractures are fractures in the upper-third of the thigh bone (femur) and/or around the hip joint sustained by older adults as a result of a fall. Hip fractures in older adults are often more complex to treat due to additional health concerns such as weakened bones and fragility, loss of muscle mass, and balance instability. Even a low-impact fall for an older adult with one or more of these issues could result in a severe hip fracture, and delaying treatment significantly increases the risk of complications.
Our orthopaedic surgeons provide dedicated geriatric hip fracture care in collaboration with many medical professionals across nearly a dozen specialties. You may speak with, and receive care from, emergency physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, hospitalists, nurses, anesthesiologists, geriatricians, and pharmacologists—along with physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors, physical therapists, and even social workers—to ensure your best recovery.
Our Geriatric Hip Fracture Program is certified by the International Geriatric Fracture Society for exceeding national benchmarks on key quality indicators. We offer the region’s only hip fracture alert system, which allows us to initiate protocols that expedite hip fracture care when a patient is admitted to the emergency department and needs time-sensitive surgery. We also provide thorough discharge plans following surgery to ensure proper rehabilitation is received. Patients initially admitted to another hospital’s emergency department may be transferred to Penn Medicine for hip fracture care.
Penn Orthoplastic Limb Salvage Center
The Penn Orthoplastic Limb Salvage Center, is a unique program that brings together a specialized team of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons to treat limbs that are at risk of amputation or in need of functional restoration.
Complete post-fracture care for peripheral nerve disorders
If you’re living with persistent pain, numbness, or weakness in your arms, hands, legs, or feet, Penn Medicine can help. We specialize in expert diagnosis and advanced treatment for more than 100 peripheral nerve disorders, from common to complex.
Trauma and fracture care rooted in advanced research
Penn Medicine is internationally recognized for its innovative treatment of orthopaedic trauma. Our trauma and fracture care services are driven by the innovative work conducted in our specialized research labs. These labs conduct high-quality fundamental and translational research, execute clinically relevant research projects focused on orthopaedic implant performance, and train the next generation of leaders in the field.
By integrating the latest scientific advancements and clinical practices, we are at the forefront of developing new methods for trauma and fracture care, offering patients the highest standard of treatment and support for optimal recovery.
Our doctors
Our providers work with you to plan and deliver exceptional treatment and personalized care.
Locations
Our hospitals, multispecialty medical centers, pharmacies, labs and more offer outstanding, personalized care for patients all across the region.
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