Which term means poor healing of a fracture?

Which term means poor healing of a fracture?

• A. MALUNION
• B. MALNUTRITION
• C. MALFORMATION
• D. MALIGNANT

Answer: (A)

Malunion is the term for a fracture that has healed but in a misaligned or deformed position. The bone has united, but not in the correct anatomical alignment, leading to deformity, reduced function, or ongoing pain. This happens when healing occurs with residual displacement or improper immobilization, so the outcome is a repaired bone that isn’t in the proper shape. The prefix mal- means bad, underscoring that healing occurred, but improperly. The other terms describe different issues—malnutrition is nutrient deficiency affecting healing in general, malformation is a developmental abnormality, and malignant means cancerous.

Malunion is the term for a fracture that has healed but in a misaligned or deformed position. The bone has united, but not in the correct anatomical alignment, leading to deformity, reduced function, or ongoing pain. This happens when healing occurs with residual displacement or improper immobilization, so the outcome is a repaired bone that isn’t in the proper shape. The prefix mal- means bad, underscoring that healing occurred, but improperly. The other terms describe different issues—malnutrition is nutrient deficiency affecting healing in general, malformation is a developmental abnormality, and malignant means cancerous.