Malunion
Also called: improperly healed fracture, malunited fracture
What it means
A malunion is a broken bone that healed, but in a crooked, shortened, or misaligned position instead of its normal shape.
A malunion can lead to lasting pain, uneven movement, and extra wear on nearby joints, which matters more as bones and joints age.
Malunion happens when the broken pieces of bone are out of alignment as they fuse. Instead of healing in the correct position, the bone knits together bent, rotated, or shortened compared to how it was before the break. The bone itself becomes solid again, but its shape or alignment is off.
This can occur if a fracture wasn't lined up well to begin with, if a cast or hardware shifted during healing, or if someone bore weight on it too soon before it was stable. Older bones, especially with osteoporosis, may be more prone to shifting during the healing process because they are more fragile.
Depending on severity, a malunion can cause ongoing pain, stiffness, uneven leg length, visible deformity, or added stress on nearby joints like the knee, hip, or wrist, which can lead to arthritis over time. Treatment options range from monitoring and physical therapy to corrective surgery, such as an osteotomy, to re-break and reset the bone. Any decisions about treatment belong to your doctor or orthopedic surgeon, based on your specific situation.
A malunion is a bone that healed crooked, which can cause lasting pain and uneven joint wear.
Where this leads
WordMalunion is a crooked heal, but what if the bone never heals at all? Nonunion explains that outcome.
Related words
A nonunion is a broken bone that has stopped healing and won't knit back together on its own, even months after the…
Delayed union is when a fracture takes longer than usual to heal, though it's still making progress toward healing.
ORIF stands for "open reduction internal fixation." It's a surgery where a surgeon repositions broken bone pieces…
Fracture healing is the body's natural, staged process of repairing a broken bone, moving from initial bleeding and…
An osteotomy is a surgery where a bone is deliberately cut and repositioned to correct alignment, deformity, or…
Bone union means a broken bone has fully healed and the two ends have knit back together with new bone, restoring…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
