Fractures Unpacked: From Global Burden to Better Healing — a concise, human-centered review of seven pivotal papers

More than just broken bones, fractures are a frequent and occasionally fatal nexus of mechanics, biology, and medical systems. This brief review summarizes seven seminal papers that tell a straightforward story: the prevalence of fractures around the world, how we categorize and image them, what happens at the tissue level during repair, the primary treatment options (operative vs. conservative), the arguments over devices (nailing vs. plating), and the reasons why some fractures do not heal (nonunion). I highlight important terms, highlight practical takeaways that students and clinicians can use imm