Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

fracture, comminuted
A fracture in which a
bone is broken, splintered, or crushed into a num-
ber of pieces.
fracture, compound
A fracture in which a bone
is sticking through the skin. Also known as an open
fracture.
fracture, compression
A fracture caused by
compression, the act of pressing together.
Compression fractures of the vertebrae are espe-
cially common in elderly people.
fracture, greenstick
A fracture in which one
side of a bone is broken and the other is bent (like
a green stick).
fracture, open
See 
fracture, compound.
fracture, Salter-Harris
A traumatic fracture of
the physeal and/or epiphyseal growth plate. Salter-
Harris fractures occur in the extremities of children
at the point where new bone is being formed as the
bones grow.
fracture, spiral
See 
fracture, torsion.
fracture, stress
A fracture caused by repetitive
stress, as may occur in sports, strenuous exercise,
or heavy physical labor. Stress fractures are espe-
cially common in the metatarsal bones of the foot,
particularly in runners. Osteoporosis increases the
possibility of stress fractures. Treatment includes
rest, disuse, and sometimes splinting or casting to
prevent reinjury during healing.
fracture, toddler’s
A torsion fracture of the tibia
that occurs without bone displacement. This frac-
ture is called toddler’s fracture because it occurs in
infants who are early on in their walking, causing a
stress breakage of bone in the large bone of the leg
below the knee.
fracture, torsion
A fracture in which a bone has
been twisted apart. Also called a spiral fracture. See
also 
fracture, toddler’s.
fracture, torus
A fracture in which one side of a
bone bends but does not actually break. Torus frac-
tures normally heal on their own within a month,
with rest and disuse. Also known as incomplete
fracture or buckle fracture.