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How long does it take for fractures to heal in the elderly?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My mother, who is 70 years old, fell and broke her forearm. Because of her age and weakness, surgery is not possible. So the doctor has suggested plastering the fracture and giving her bone-forming injections. Have some questions about this line of treatment -

  1. Will it help her recover from the fracture?
  2. How long is the recovery process likely to be?
  3. How much recovery is there likely to be?
  4. Will there be a 60 % recovery? Or 80 % recovery?
Answered by Dr. Anuj Gupta

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Anuj Gupta is an Orthopedic Surgeon who is specially trained in spine surgery. He completed his MBBS from The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, and MS in Orthopedics at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. He did his DNB at Chatrapathi Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Currently, he is working in Triveni Ortho and Spine Center, Delhi, with work experience of 13 years. He has also done short training in spine surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, and Mount Sinai hospital, New York. He has also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics from a renowned hospital in the USA.

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Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for the query.

I have seen the X-rays (attachments removed for patient identity protection). There are two things.

  1. The bones at the fracture site are not aligned in an acceptable position.
  2. The bones are very weak due to osteoporosis.

We have to treat osteoporosis for sure, without a doubt. The treatment of a fracture depends on her injury status.

  1. How independent was she before the injury?
  2. Is she right-handed?
  3. Any other comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease she has?

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your answer.

I have re-attached the files. Please reply.

Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Anuj Gupta

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Anuj Gupta is an Orthopedic Surgeon who is specially trained in spine surgery. He completed his MBBS from The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, and MS in Orthopedics at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. He did his DNB at Chatrapathi Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Currently, he is working in Triveni Ortho and Spine Center, Delhi, with work experience of 13 years. He has also done short training in spine surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, and Mount Sinai hospital, New York. He has also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics from a renowned hospital in the USA.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I feel her bone are really weak. Any surgery will not be successful, and there are high chances of implant failure. My suggestion is the same. Go for closed reduction and plaster application.

1. The plaster will help her to recover. She might have some deformity later on, but that will not hamper her daily activities.

2. Plaster will be there for at least eight weeks.

3. No one can quantify the recovery. It will reveal with time. Recovery depends on bone quality and her body too.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply. Is it possible that the bone still does not join back despite plaster and bone-forming injections? What are the chances of that? And in that scenario, what are the steps forward?

Answered by Dr. Anuj Gupta

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Anuj Gupta is an Orthopedic Surgeon who is specially trained in spine surgery. He completed his MBBS from The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, and MS in Orthopedics at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. He did his DNB at Chatrapathi Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Currently, he is working in Triveni Ortho and Spine Center, Delhi, with work experience of 13 years. He has also done short training in spine surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, and Mount Sinai hospital, New York. He has also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics from a renowned hospital in the USA.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

There are still chances of non-union. If that happens, then it is better to go for surgery. But that is a low-possibility situation. The maximum possibility is that the bone will unite.

Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Anuj Gupta
Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At July 19, 2023
Reviewed At March 10, 2026

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Anuj Gupta is an Orthopedic Surgeon who is specially trained in spine surgery. He completed his MBBS from The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, and MS in Orthopedics at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. He did his DNB at Chatrapathi Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Currently, he is working in Triveni Ortho and Spine Center, Delhi, with work experience of 13 years. He has also done short training in spine surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, and Mount Sinai hospital, New York. He has also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics from a renowned hospital in the USA.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Anuj Gupta
Dr. Anuj Gupta

Spine Surgery

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Anuj Gupta is an Orthopedic Surgeon who is specially trained in spine surgery. He completed his MBBS from The Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, and MS in Orthopedics at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. He did his DNB at Chatrapathi Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Currently, he is working in Triveni Ortho and Spine Center, Delhi, with work experience of 13 years. He has also done short training in spine surgery from the University of California, San Francisco, and Mount Sinai hospital, New York. He has also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics from a renowned hospital in the USA.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality
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