A broken bone.
However having a broken bone is not that simple. Depending on what bone you break, how old you are, and your general physical condition will contribute to how well you fare after a fracture.
Death
Let’s start with the absolute worst consequence of breaking a bone – death. Unfortunately, having a fracture can shorten your life. Fractures of the hip and the spine are associated with an increased rate of death. One in three men die within a year of sustaining a hip fracture and one in five women do also. The five-year death rate for spine fractures associated with pain is similar to that of hip fractures.
Disability
Multiple problems are possible as result of breaking a bone. Even what might seem like a simple fracture may cause significant difficulties in your day-to-day life.
For instance, you break your right wrist after tripping during a walk in your neighborhood. Your right arm is immobilized in a cast for six weeks. After the cast is removed, you go to physical therapy and occupational therapy to work on full movement of your wrist and to build back up the muscle that was lost while in the cast. It’s a long process. Unfortunately, many people and up with a deformity and decreased function.
That’s what might happen with the so-called simple fracture. Other fractures like those of the spine and hip may change the entire course of your life and contribute to a decreased quality of life.