Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Knipe H, Hacking C, Bell D, et al. Fragility fracture. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 28 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-43382
Fragility fractures are the result of forces that would not fracture a normal bone and are almost entirely seen in patients with osteoporosis. They can occur in the context of a single event of very low energy (i.e. minimal) trauma such as falling from standing height, or they may be no identifiable preceding trauma.
Insufficiency fractures, on the other hand, are fractures due to multiple minor events causing a cumulative load on weakened osteoporotic bone.
Pathology
Fragility fractures occur in bones that have reduced compressive and/or torsional strength 1, and occur especially in the context of osteoporosis.
Location
Common sites include 2:
- lumbosacral spine
- distal radius
- hip
- proximal humerus
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1. Vanasse A, Dagenais P, Niyonsenga T et-al. Bone mineral density measurement and osteoporosis treatment after a fragility fracture in older adults: regional variation and determinants of use in Quebec. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2006;6 (1): 33. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-6-33 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
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2. Pietri M, Lucarini S. The orthopaedic treatment of fragility fractures. Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab. 2012;4 (2): 108-16. Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
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3. William Palmer, Laura Bancroft, Fiona Bonar, Jung-Ah Choi, Anne Cotten, James F. Griffith, Philip Robinson, Christian W.A. Pfirrmann. Glossary of terms for musculoskeletal radiology. (2020) Skeletal Radiology. doi:10.1007/s00256-020-03465-1 - Pubmed
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