Broken Fibula - Again!

[Houmes]

(08-10-2012 08:43 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Is that type of break similiar to a stress fracture? I got a stress fracture in my foot when backpacking (those days are over). I was able to continue hiking, but after about two hours I couldn't.

I'm not convinced when hearing comparisons that a stress fracture is similar to a true long bone fracture, which I consider to be like comparing a paper cut to an amputation. True stress fractures are a mere crack in the bone, and do not cross completely through the bone. They're frequently not seen on a plain xray, and require a CT, MRI, or nuclear scan for diagnosis. In children, with more flexible bones, it's called a Greenstick fracture. Dr. Mudd described Booth's fracture as a straight fracture across the fibula. There are discrepancies in Dr. Mudd's accounts, and he did admit to a limited exam, as Booth was in pain and much of the doctor's time was spent finding material for a splint and then applying it. And different people do react differently to pain, due to being stoic, under stress, shock, or being distracted--Frank Shorter ran with a stress fracture in his foot and won a Silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics--but the majority of victims of a fractured fibula I've seen still walking on it the next day were drunk the night before. What's really interesting and needs to be explained is why Booth had severe back pain in addition to the ankle pain. A seasoned, athletic actor and horseman like Booth wouldn't be expected to have pain from the ride to Dr. Mudd's house. And falling from the President's box would not have explained it; you need axial loading for a compression fracture of a vertebra in the back, and you need to land on your bottom to achieve it, and I've never read an account from any witness at Ford's that mentioned Booth landing that way--they all mention him in a crouch, or on one knee, or falling almost to one side while in a near stooped position. A serious muscle spasm from a fall is possible, but it would be quite odd unless the person had a significant back injury history....or had a horse fell on him.