General Guide to Roleplaying out Broken Bones.
This guide is to help you role-play common type of fractures that occur on SchoolRP. This guide can help give you a fundamental baseline, but you should ALWAYS research these injuries to role-play them properly.
Huge thank you to @teagan, @Tcb, @incqnspicuous, and @chancywancywoo for helping me with this guide!
This guide is to help you role-play common type of fractures that occur on SchoolRP. This guide can help give you a fundamental baseline, but you should ALWAYS research these injuries to role-play them properly.
Huge thank you to @teagan, @Tcb, @incqnspicuous, and @chancywancywoo for helping me with this guide!
WHAT ARE BROKEN BONES?
A broken bone, also known as a fracture, happens when a bone cracks or breaks completely due to stress, direct impact, or other factors. The terms 'broken bone' and 'fracture' share the same meaning. Different diagnosis methods may be used depending on the type of fracture and the information required. The most common scan is an X-ray, but an MRI can be utilized for a more detailed one.
A general reminder that another player cannot force your bone to be 'shattered', as you would be responsible for such a decision. Unless you choose otherwise, the injury is a clean break.
MAJOR AND MINOR FRACTURES
There are many ways to classify fractures such as type of break, location, cause, etc. To keep this guide simple fractures will be classified as minor or major (In EMS we call them clean or compound).
Minor Fractures
Refers to fractures that are less severe and have not caused the displacement of the bone. The most common types of breaks in this category are linear and transverse fractures. A linear fracture is a simple split along the length of the bone, while a transverse fracture refers to a bone that is perpendicular to its axis. Symptoms will include tenderness, swelling, pain, and inability to move your limb like usual. In this scenario, the limb will only be cast, meaning no surgical intervention is necessary.
- In simple terms, you can call this a clean fracture.
Major Fractures
Major breaks on the other hand are a lot more severe and involve significant bone damage. There are a few types of breaks in this category, with the most common type being shattered and compound fractures. When the bone is shattered, it means the bone has broken into multiple pieces, which can cause significant damage beyond the bone itself. As for compound fractures, they can be either open, where the bone pierces through the skin, or closed, where it remains under the skin. In both cases, the injuries are severe and will require surgical intervention to ensure proper treatment and recovery. The symptoms are very similar to the ones of a minor break, except that the pain will be much more severe, alongside a complete inability to move the limb.
- In simple terms, you can call this compound fractures.
If you are ever unsure about describing the type of break, don't hesitate to ask the EMS!
OTHER TYPE OF FRACTURES
Rib Fractures
In ribs, a minor break typically refers to a small crack or a hairline fracture through one of the ribs. Symptoms often include pain when breathing, moving, or coughing. Since the damage is minimal, surgery is usually unnecessary, and the injury can be treated with rest and pain management!
For major breaks, the damage is usually more severe, affecting multiple ribs. Symptoms include severe pain, difficulty breathing, bruising, and sharp chest pain. In such cases, surgery is required to treat the injury properly.
Broken Noses
A broken nose is a fracture of the nasal bone, typically caused by direct impact. Symptoms may include swelling, bruising, pain and tenderness in the nose, difficulty breathing, and most notably crooked or deformed nose!
Spinal Fractures
These sort of fractures are severe and depending on location it can cause permanent injury. If you want to roleplay out a spinal fracture then you MUST do research due to the various of complications that will occur.
This guide doesn't go over broken skulls, if you wish to learn more then please check out the TBI guide here!
PAIN IN FRACTURES
When it comes to roleplaying pain from broken bones, there are a few things that you should take into consideration to help you achieve the best result! This guide will go over the category of breaks and try to summarize and explain how each fracture would feel.
- Minor breaks: These breaks are usually the mildest! The damage here is minimal when compared to other types of breaks, therefore the pain is also much more moderate and manageable. Pain from minor breaks can cause some to hold their limb protectively, wince in pain, limp, or even just tense up. With swelling developing gradually, it will be uncomfortable to move or step on the limb resulting in very limited mobility. While some people could struggle through, the pain will worsen over time and will become less tolerable.
- Major breaks: Think of them as one of the most severe breaks that can happen. Reactions may vary from person to person, some might cry out immediately, others will go silent and clench their teeth trying to struggle through, while most will scream or go into shock! But in either case, the pain would be excruciating and sharp. Pain in such fractures is often severe, agonizing, and even unbearable at times. This would cause any light touch or movement to be extremely painful as the bones might shift and press against the nerves or worsen the injury.
- Other fractures: Nasal fractures typically cause pain that is described as stinging or throbbing. As a result, some will try to hold their nose instinctively, wince in pain, or whimper. Any light contact with the nose will most likely trigger a sharp and stinging pain, this can even come as a result of simply breathing through the nose! For broken ribs, the pain is dull but sharpens with deep breaths or talking. Like other minor breaks, reactions will vary, but most commonly people will whimper, groan in pain, or resort to shallow breathing to minimize the pain.
Remember that roleplaying pain is mandatory. But this does not mean you cannot mix it with your character's personality, as each individual reacts differently. Make sure to find a healthy balance between the two and try to apply all of the principles mentioned earlier!
RECOVERY
Casts are made up of fiberglass and several layers of bandages. The main purpose of it is to immobilize the limb while the bone is healing. At first, a cast may feel tight and heavy, but over time, the sensation will shift towards an itchy or sweaty one. It should also be noted that, while the outer shell is water resistant, submerging the cast in water can lead to a wide range of issues such as skin irritation or even infections. Therefore it is important to keep it dry and clean.
Crutches are provided to prevent applying pressure onto the healing limb and aid with mobility. At first, moving with crutches is awkward and tiring, making simple actions such as jumping or running nearly impossible. But the challenges don’t end here, obstacles such as slopes and stairs are also difficult to navigate!
A general reminder that if your character has a sort of fracture that needs recovery it is required, you CANNOT SkipRP it.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this guide and I hope it helps you potentially in the future when it comes to roleplaying out these injuries. Remember to always do research and even if you are unsure if it right don't hesitate to ask!
