Fractures can involve any bone in the arm or leg as well as the spine.
Most fractures occur when a substantial force with high energy is applied rapidly to a bone, as when someone falls during a Washington ice storm. For just about every bone in the body there is a complex classification of the fractures that can effect it, and this classification system also defines the appropriate methods of treatment. Occasionally we see fractures that are the result of repeated low-grade stress rather than a precipitous injury. These are known as stress fractures and are treated differently than acute, high-energy fractures. Runners who rapidly increase their mileage will frequently experience these fractures in leg and foot bones.