|Our guide to broken bones|
|Around the Academy:
Bone fractures are potentially serious injuries.
As well as damaging the bone they often injure the tissues around the bone such as tendons, ligaments, muscles and even the skin.
There are four different types of fracture:
You may also be able to see that the affected limb look awkward and that the bone isn't in the right place.
They will probably put your limb in a cast to keep it completely still while the bone heals.
These can be made of plaster, which can be quite heavy, but doctors are increasingly using lightweight plastic casts.