Fracture Pain
PAIN CONDITION
Fracture Pain: Causes, Treatment & Pain Relief
If you’ve ever broken a bone, you know the pain can be immediate, intense, and sometimes long-lasting. Fracture pain—broken bone or post-fracture pain—can persist well into recovery and doesn’t always stop when the bone heals. Discomfort may continue, especially if surrounding tissues or nerves were also injured.
Some fractures heal easily on their own, while others may need surgery or more complex care. How long your pain lasts may depend on location, fracture severity, age, and overall health. Pain often subsides as healing occurs, but it can sometimes be triggered, especially when there are complications or underlying conditions.
About Fracture Pain
Broken bone pain can be complicated because the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments get injured too.[1] Sudden fracture pain occurs when a bone breaks or cracks due to trauma, stress, or weakening conditions like osteoporosis.[2] It often feels sharp, throbbing, or deep and may worsen with movement or pressure.[1] But your broken bone pain can last through the healing process and beyond.
Fractures in load-bearing bones—like the spine, hip, or femur—tend to be more painful and harder to heal. People with osteoporotic fractures, spinal compression fractures, or multiple fractures may experience longer and more intense pain during recovery. [3]
According to VeryWellHealth, fracture pain typically progresses through three stages:
- Acute Pain: Sudden, sharp, intense pain immediately during break.
- Sub-Acute Pain: During the first few weeks after injury, as the bone and soft tissues heal, may come and go or occur with specific movements.
- Chronic Pain: Persists after healing. It could be nerve damage, scar tissue, or underlying conditions.
The most common types of fractures include wrist (distal radius), ankle, hip, and vertebral compression fractures—often caused by falls, accidents, or osteoporosis-related bone weakening.[1,3] Fracture pain is sometimes mistaken for nerve entrapment, arthritis, or soft tissue injuries. If the bone looks fine on an X-ray but pain persists, underlying nerve irritation or a microfracture might be to blame. [4]
Fracture Pain Symptoms
Your fracture may take 6 to 12 weeks to heal, in some cases it’s longer, but you may still feel pain beyond the initial acute (sudden) pain when your bone broke.[5]
Here are some signs and symptoms of fracture pain, from onset to post-recovery:
- Sudden or severe pain at the site of the break [5]
- Inflammation [5]
- Aching during healing [5]
- Swelling, bruising, or warmth around the area [1]
- Pain that worsens with movement or weight-bearing [5]
- Tenderness or sensitivity to touch [1]
- Numbness, tingling, or burning if nerves are affected [5]
- Inability to bear weight [3]
- Lingering pain even after the fracture has healed (chronic pain) [5]
Persistent symptoms may indicate malunion or nonunion (when the bone doesn’t heal properly), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), or nerve injury.[6]
Fracture Pain Causes & Risk Factors
Fractures are often the result of a slip and fall, sports injury, or car accident, but some medical conditions and repetitive forces can put you at risk for broken bones.[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15241-bone-fractures]
Fracture pain causes include:
- Accidental trauma like falls, car crashes, or sports injuries [1]
- Overuse injuries or stress fractures from repetitive motion [3]
- Osteoporosis, which weakens bone structure [3]
- Surgical complications after fracture repair [1]
- Nerve damage or inflammation near the injury site [7/]
- Advanced age [3]
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or chronic post-fracture pain [7]
- Mechanical allodynia (pain from normally non-painful touch) [7]
- Bone infection [1]
Fracture Pain Management Treatments
Caring for fractures involves a combination of home care, conventional treatments, lifestyle adjustments, and interventional pain management. Home care includes rest, elevating affected body parts, and cold compresses. For mild aches and pains due to broken bones, Over-the-counter NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) may be enough for relief.
Casts, braces, or surgical repair may be needed for more severe breaks or fractures. Your healthcare team may also prescribe physical therapy to gradually increase mobility and prevent stiffness or weakness in soft tissues. Prescription medications for pain and inflammation may be provided when OTC and at-home care aren’t keeping you comfortable.
To promote bone healing, quitting smoking is highly recommended to maintain circulation. Alternative therapies and mind-body approaches like meditation and acupuncture can help support your recovery by reducing pain, stress and inflammation and increasing circulation.
Comprehensive pain management can help reduce or even eliminate the need for opioids by using a mix of treatments like physical therapy, injections, regenerative medicine and lifestyle changes. Regenerative therapies, such as PRP and stem cells, promote natural healing and reduce inflammation. Chronic fracture pain that interferes with your daily activities requires drug-free, non-surgical interventions for the most effective pain relief.
Minimally invasive pain management interventions for relentless fracture pain include:
- Nerve blocks
- Sympathetic blocks
- Peripheral nerve blocks
- Medial branch nerve blocks
- Epidural steroid injections
- Trigger point injections
- Facet joint injections
- PRP therapy (platelet-rich plasma)
- Stem cell therapy
- Intrathecal drug pumps
- Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)
- Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS)
- Kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty (spinal compression fractures)
- Thoracic transforminal epidural steroid injection
- Radiofrequency nerve ablation
- Lumbar sympathetic block
- Fluoroscopic-guided piriformis injection
- Femoral nerve block
- TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
When to Consult a Fracture Pain Care Specialist
Comprehensive pain management can start right after your break or surgery—but it’s crucial if pain lingers during recovery. If you’re still dealing with pain, aching, or discomfort in the bone or surrounding tissues weeks or months after your injury, it may be time to explore advanced pain management.
A pain specialist can help reduce your pain without relying on opioids or strong medications. They can also check for underlying issues like nerve damage, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), or fractures that haven’t healed properly (nonunion).
Don’t wait to get help. Just because you’ve had a fracture doesn’t mean you have to live in pain. Ongoing pain after a broken bone isn’t something to ignore—especially when pain specialists have a complete toolbox of effective treatment options.
Disclaimer: This fracture pain resource is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you experience sudden or severe swelling, intense pain that doesn’t improve with rest or medication, visible bone deformity, inability to move the affected limb, loss of sensation, or signs of infection such as fever or redness around the injury, seek immediate medical attention. These symptoms may indicate a more serious complication, such as a displaced fracture, compartment syndrome, or infection. Always consult a healthcare provider for proper evaluation and personalized care.
Resources:
- Bone Fractures. Cleveland Clinic [Internet]. Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15241-bone-fractures
- Bone Fractures and Broken Bones. UPMC [Internet]. Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://www.upmc.com/services/orthopaedics/conditions/fractures-and-breaks
- Brazier Y. What is a fracture? Medical News Today [Internet]. Updated November 10, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173312#
- Mitchell SAT, Majuta LA, Mantyh PW. New Insights in Understanding and Treating Bone Fracture Pain. Curr Osteoporos Rep [Internet]. 2018;16(4):325-332. doi:10.1007/s11914-018-0446-8 Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6355163/
- Cluett J. How Does It Feel When a Broken Bone is Healing? Very Well Health [Internet]. Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-heal-a-broken-bone-quickly-2549327
- Tanna NK, Ong T. Pharmacological options for pain control in patients with vertebral fragility fractures. Osteoporos Sarcopenia [Internet]. 2022;8(3):93-97. doi:10.1016/j.afos.2022.09.003. Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9577215/
- Zhao Y, Zhang H, Li N, Li J, Zhang L. Chronic Pain after Bone Fracture: Current Insights into Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies. Brain Sci [Internet]. 2022;12(8):1056. Published 2022 Aug 9. doi:10.3390/brainsci12081056 Accessed April 29, 2025. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9406150/