Điền từ thích hợp vào chỗ trống.

Broken bones

Most of us will suffer from a ‘fracture’, (1) _______ is the medical term for a broken bone, at some point in our lives. A patient (2) _______ arm, let’s say, is suspected of being broken will first be given an X-ray. (3) _______ determined the extent of the fracture, the orthopaedic surgeon will decide on the most effective treatment. For a fracture (4) _______ manipulation is required, (5) _______ may involve the patient being given a general anaesthetic while the bone is essentially re-broken. Patients (6) _______ have more serious fractures may require ‘fracture fixation’, (7) _______ pins and rods are connected to the bone to strengthen it. (8) _______, for simple fractures, a cast – often (9) _______ out of plaster of Paris or fibreglass – is all that is required.

(10) _______ a broken upper leg can take anything up to twelve weeks to heal, a broken toe can heal in just three weeks. Their plaster cast (11) _______ off, the patient will almost certainly require physiotherapy to exercise a limb (12) _______ has been inactive for several weeks. (13) _______ advances in medical technology, (14) _______ get a frail elderly person’s fracture to heal is still remarkably difficult. Even (15) _______ the fracture has been treated in the right way, it is quite possible that the bone will never fully heal.

Most of us will suffer from a ‘fracture’, (1) ______ is the medical term for a broken bone, at some point in our lives.