A 40-year-old man fractured his humerus while playing tackle football. He was placed in a splint and he wears it most of the time. He had an X-ray done after 1 month because he said it was hurting a bit. His distal pulse, sensation, skin color, and mobility were intact. The fracture appeared the same, but there was no callous formation noted on the X-ray. This finding should be interpreted as:
A) osteomyelitis.
B) normal because callous can take up to 6 weeks to start forming.
C) nonunion.
D) completion of healing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Callous formation can take up to 6 weeks to start forming, so the absence of callous at 1 month is not necessarily abnormal.

A 40-Year-Old Man Fractured His Humerus While Playing Tackle Football