Nonsurgical treatment options
- Nonsurgical orthotic management for stable fracture patterns and no neurological defects
- Long-term monitoring to prevent worsening kyphotic deformity
Surgical treatment options
- Surgical treatment advised for patients with malalignment syndrome
- Surgical fixation required for patients with neurological deficits or unstable fracture patterns
Specific treatment option for cervical fractures
- Halo Brace as an option for managing cervical fractures
References
- Musculoskeletal imaging, Elsevier Saunders, 2014, p. 305, ISBN 9781455708130
- Metabolic Bone Disease, Volume 2, Academic Press, 2013, p. 520, ISBN 9781483267920
- Chalkstick fracture: A catastrophic injury, Asian Journal of Neurosurgery, 2018, 13 (2), 383–385, doi: 10.4103/ajns.AJNS_167_13, PMC5898110, PMID29682039
- Management of Acute Spinal Fractures in Ankylosing Spondylitis, ISRN Rheumatology, June 30, 2011, 1–9, doi: 10.5402/2011/150484, ISSN 2090-5467, PMC3263739, PMID22389792
Further reading
- Spontaneous Chalk-Stick Fracture in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report, Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology, 2022, 33 (3), 346–348, doi: 10.31138/mjr.33.3.346, ISSN 2529-198X, PMC9727473, PMID36531425
- Chalk-stick fracture in ankylosing spondylitis, Clinical Rheumatology, May 6, 2020, 39 (8), 2469–2470, doi: 10.1007/s10067-020-05117-0, ISSN 0770-3198, PMID32377994
Chalkstick fractures are fractures, typically of long bones, in which the fracture is transverse to the long axis of the bone, like a broken stick of chalk. A healthy long bone typically breaks like a hard woody stick as the collagen in the matrix adds remarkable flexibility to the mineral and the energy can run up and down the growth rings of bone. The bones of children will even follow a greenstick fracture pattern.
| Chalkstick fracture | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Carrot stick fractures |
 | |
| Chalkstick fracture due to bone metastasis of breast cancer. The left image shows the metastasis, on the right a pathological fracture a few days later. | |
| Specialty | Orthopedics |
| Risk factors | Paget's disease of bone, ankylosing spondylitis, and osteopetrosis. |
Chalkstick fractures are particularly common in Paget's disease of bone, and osteopetrosis. It is also seen in cases of fused spine as in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis.
