“Break a leg,” we say enthusiastically to actors before an opening night, not intending that they actually break it, but still in a mindset that views a fracture as a trauma that one can joke about. In practice, bone fractures are painful and debilitating injuries, painful especially for the economy, since they take many people out of the labor market for extended periods, or at least harm their productivity. The average wrist fracture can take six weeks to unite, and leg fractures can often take even longer, following which a further period of rehabilitation is needed before normal activity is resumed. There are also risks, such as fractures that don’t unite properly, and which have to be corrected surgically, necessitating a further prolonged recovery period. Some other fractures are difficult to heal, and don’t unite at all.
