- The position of the bone ends after the fracture
- The completeness of the break
- The orientation of the bone to the long axis
- Whether or not the bone ends penetrate the skin
-Nondisplaced- Bone ends retain their normal position
-Displaced- Bone ends are out of normal alignment
-Complete- Bone is broken all the way through
-Incomplete- Bone is not broken all the way through
-Linear- The fracture is parallel to the long axis of the bone
-Transverse- The fracture is perpendicular to the long axis of the bone
-Compound (open)- Bone ends penetrate the skin
-Simple (closed)- Bone ends don't penetrate the skin
-Comminuted- Bone fragments into 3 or more pieces; common in the elderly, whose bones are more brittle
-Spiral- Ragged break when bone is excessively twisted; common sports injury
-Depression- Broken bone portion pressed inward; typical skull fracture
-Compression- Bone is crushed; common in porous bones subjected to extreme trauma
-Epiphyseal- Epiphysis separates from diaphysis along epiphyseal line; occurs where cartilage cells are dying and calcification of the matrix is occurring
-Greenstick- Incomplete fracture where one side of the bone breaks and the other side bends; common in children, whose bones have relatively more organic matrix and are more flexible than those of adults
