Which fracture pattern is produced by a twisting force?

Which fracture pattern is produced by a twisting force?

• A. Transverse Fracture
• B. Oblique Fracture
• C. Spiral Fracture
• D. Stress Fracture

Answer: (C)

A twisting force on a long bone creates torsional stress, causing the bone to fail along a helical path around the shaft. This produces a spiral fracture, which reflects the rotation of one segment relative to another as the fracture line winds around the bone. Transverse fractures occur from a direct, straight-on load and cut across the bone’s width; oblique fractures arise from an angled load that creates a single diagonal break; stress fractures are tiny cracks from repetitive microtrauma over time rather than an acute twist.

A twisting force on a long bone creates torsional stress, causing the bone to fail along a helical path around the shaft. This produces a spiral fracture, which reflects the rotation of one segment relative to another as the fracture line winds around the bone.

Transverse fractures occur from a direct, straight-on load and cut across the bone’s width; oblique fractures arise from an angled load that creates a single diagonal break; stress fractures are tiny cracks from repetitive microtrauma over time rather than an acute twist.