What is an avulsion injury?
Victoria Simmons
Updated on March 28, 2026
What is an avulsion injury?
An avulsion fracture occurs when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone. The hip, elbow and ankle are the most common locations for avulsion fractures in the young athlete.
What is an example of an avulsion?
Often an avulsion fracture occurs when there is a sudden forceful pull on a tendon while the bone is moving in the opposite direction. An example is an injury to the fifth metatarsal, the bone on the outside of the midfoot. The peroneal tendon attaches to the base of this bone.
What happens avulsion?
In an avulsion fracture, your bone moves one way and your tendon or ligament moves in the opposite direction with a broken chunk of bone in tow. This most often happens when you suddenly change direction. An avulsion fracture can happen to any bone that’s connected to a tendon or ligament.
What is a muscle avulsion?
Thigh Muscle Injuries occur when one or more of the strong thigh muscles are forcibly overstretched resulting in muscle fiber damage (muscle pull or tear) or complete rupture of the tendon from the bone (avulsion).
Can you chip a bone?
Chip (avulsion fracture) — A small piece of bone is broken away from the main bone and usually attached to a ligament or tendon. Compression — The bone is compressed together, such as vertebrae. Comminuted — The bone is in pieces. Greenstick — One side of the bone is broken and the other side is bent but not broken.
What is a chip fracture in the finger?
An avulsion fracture occurs when a tendon or ligament that is attached to the bone pulls a piece of the fractured bone off. Avulsion fractures can happen anywhere in the body but are most common in the ankle, hip, finger, and foot.
How do people get Avulsions?
Ring avulsion is caused when a ring on your finger gets caught on an object and is pulled off your finger quickly and forcefully. This often happens when a person wearing a ring gets it caught on metal equipment, such as a garbage truck, a steel fence, or a basketball hoop.
What is another word for avulsion?
Avulsion synonyms In this page you can discover 9 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for avulsion, like: osteochondral, fibular, chondral, supracondylar, olecranon, dehiscence, calcaneal, incisional and undisplaced.
Is it bad to walk on an avulsion fracture?
Walking: You may walk on the foot as comfort allows but you may find it easier to walk on your heel in the early stages. If you have been given a boot to wear, it is for your comfort only and is not needed to aid fracture healing. If supplied, wear the boot for comfort when walking.
What is an avulsion of the hip?
Avulsion fractures of the pelvis is an injury that occurs when a tendon or ligament pulls off a piece of bone from the hip. This results in a part of the pelvic (hip) bone breaking away from the main part of the bone.
What do bone chips feel like?
What are the symptoms? It hurts when you move your elbow. Your elbow may click or lock or you may feel a bone chip inside the joint. Your elbow may be swollen and you may not be able to completely straighten your arm.