A fall, an accident at work or a car accident can break one or more of your bones. This can be a painful injury that makes it hard for you to do your daily activities or go to work. While you probably anticipate some kind of medical treatment to heal your injury, you might wonder how long it will take for you to recover.
WebMD provides some background that may help you understand how long your recovery time might take following a broken bone.
Factors affecting recovery time
In general, the average time period to recover from a broken bone is six to eight weeks. However, multiple factors could shorten or lengthen the recovery time. You may only experience a hairline fracture, which is a thin crack in the bone. Other bone fractures occur when an injury breaks clear through the bone. Some injuries even split a bone into multiple pieces.
Other factors could impact your recovery. Older people generally need more time to heal a broken bone. People in poorer health or individuals who smoke or drink alcohol may also experience delays in recovery.
How recovery may proceed
The specifics of your recovery will depend on your personal situation, but some steps are common to almost all patients. You can expect a doctor to set your bone back into its original position, perhaps by using surgery. Depending on which bone is broken, you will probably wear a cast or a brace. After you remove the cast, you will likely need to exercise to build back muscle strength.
Your time length for recovery is something to discuss with your doctor early on following your injury. If a negligent party was responsible for your broken bone, you might decide to seek damages, including lost wages, as a result.