What happens when you break a bone
A broken bone, or fracture, happens when excessive force applied to your bone causes it to break or shatter. Some fractures break the bone completely, while others just cause a crack in the bone. Fracture types vary depending on the circumstances of your injury and the amount of force applied to the bone. A simple fracture happens when the bone is broken into two pieces. 2  An open or compound fracture happens when a piece of bone protrudes through your skin or if the force of the injury breaks the skin. 3  A closed fracture happens when the bone is broken, but the skin is intact.