Is it possible to bend a human bone?

Question

My friend tells me that about a year ago, she fell over while rollerskating and bent a bone in her arm. She landed on her arm funny, and it hurt for a few weeks. Her mom finally took her to a doctor, and the x-ray showed that her wrist bone was "wavy". It started off straight, then started to make small waves near the wrist. She had to wear a cast-like thing. I'm not sure if I can believe that.

Is this possible? She is 14-15 years old.

I asked my mom, and she told me it could happen when the person is still very young. I think she could be wrong. How could a human bone bend without breaking, and then stick that way? It makes no sense!

Answer 1

bones will bend. different bones will flex different amounts before cracking or breaking. the wrist is not on the high end of the flex scale and it does not stay bent. if it was wavy the x-ray machine probably needed glasses.

Answer 2

Yes it's possible. My uncle bent his pinky tip so his finger looks like a reverse number 7, and it's permanent.

Answer 3

babies have soft bones and if one of theirs breaks it can heal in a few weeks, i have never heard of someones bone bending without some kind of disease but maybe your friend just watches to much harry potter or has soft bones.

Answer 4

This sounds like a "greenstick fracture".  These types of fractures happen in young people.  Your bones will bend, rather than break straight in half.   A greenstick (from a tree) will not break completely through, but one end will break.  An old, dead twig will snap in half.  I am not explaining this well, so off to site some sources!

"A child's bones are softer and more flexible than those of an adult, so they're more likely to bend than to break completely. This flexibility can result in a greenstick fracture, in which the bone cracks but doesn't break all the way through — like when you try to break a green stick of wood."

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/greenst...

"Because a child's bones are much more pliable than adult bone, an incomplete, or 'greenstick,' fracture may occur. A "greenstick fracture" means that one side of the fracture has broken and one side is bent; therefore it is classified as an incomplete break.  The name for a greenstick fracture comes from the analogy of breaking a young, fresh tree branch. The broken branch snaps on one side (the outer side of the bend), while the inner side is bent, and still in continuity. Most often the greenstick fracture must be bent back into the proper position (called a "reduction") and then casted for about six weeks. Greenstick fractures can take a long time to heal because they tend to occur in the middle, slower growing parts of bone."

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/generali...

So, your friend could very well be telling the absolute truth.

Answer 5

idc