Worst Bones to Break

I broke both heels. The first I broke a number of years ago (when I was about 20). I limped for 3 years; after being able to walk properly I suffered stiffness every morning, along with limited range of motion due to the joint damage. A year and a half ago (when I was in my sixties), I broke my other heel after falling from the roof and landing on a brick. I had surgery and 9 screws were placed in my heel to repair the bone. I struggle to walk without a limp, need pain meds, and have very limited range of motion. I am aggressively trying to break down the fibrous scar tissue causing the severe pain and limited range of motion, but have had little success. My goal is to walk without a limp after 2 years, but I fear it will more likely be 3. The heel is a terrible bone to break. However, I feel for others who have had spinal and head injuries that have resulted in far worse pain and suffering than I have experienced.

I broke my left collarbone while skateboarding. I didn't really notice the pain at first till I had gotten in the car to go to the hospital. (I was going to the ER because I hit my head hard, not because of the shoulder injury) drive to the hospital was the worst. Every little bump and turn was causing so much pain it was making me cry. My boyfriend had to drive extremely slow. Once I got to the hospital they did an x-ray and I broke and shattered some bones on my clavicle. They did surgery a couple of days later and put in a hook plate. It was one of the most painful this I have EVER experienced. I have broken other bones before too. My mom had to help my change, shower and do my hair. I could hardly sleep because I could only sleep in one position that didn't cause too much pain. But 2 months later and I'm in physical therapy and it still causing a little pain and I can't lift it about my shoulders. It sucks.

I've fractured my skull 3 times, not really that bad, didn't die, not paralyzed. Hurts but it's not a debilitating break. Broke my coccyx (tailbone) in middle school football by not wearing my pad and falling hard on a rock on our brand "new" football practice field that had only been roughed and sod never laid,
Very painful but didn't last long and healed fairly quickly. Broke both thumbs, again, fairly painful at first, but "healed" quick still have limited range of motion and only occasionally causes pain.
Fractured my calcaneus(heel) falling off a roof and screamed in agony, couldn't walk for 6 months, and still have pain everyday 2 years later, definitely my worst break. I would assume spine and maybe femur are the only more painful breaks you can have.

If your skull breaks, you probably won't survive, or be the same again. By far the worst bone to break. Well, technically, more than one bone, but still.

If you break your neck you will be in pain and suffering. I hurts a lot and you can get paralyzed for the rest of your life.

It was necking bad

One of the worst feelings in my life was being told I might never be able to walk again

I broke my tailbone in 2013 and I had to wear a back-brace for about 2 months, I couldn't participate in any physical activities and it gave me back and neck pain for years.

I bruised my tailbone and I as not able to sit properly for months. When I had to go on vacation, I had to stand up every 10 minutes otherwise I wouldn't be able to get up.

I broke my tailbone after slipping on the stairs. It hurt so bad I couldn't even walk, sit or lay down. It's been 5 years since that happen and it still affects me.

I don't think people understand the pain of a fibula-fibula compound fracture because most people go into shock and don't feel a lot of pain. I was playing a basketball game for my highschool and I jumped to save the game and came down wrong. I didn't go into shock and I felt the worse pain I had ever experienced and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. The recovery isn't bad because you should be able to walk in just 2 weeks but the pain for about the first 3 hours is terrible. It was so bad I wanted to die right then and there.

I currently have a Tibial plateau fracture requiring a plate and screws to reconstruct. The pain I had after surgery when the anesthesia wore off was the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life. Even the femural nerve block did nothing to soothe the pain. I've had multiple broken wrists and arms before. This was my first fracture requiring surgery. This morning, I made the mistake of missing a dose of my pain meds and I had to relive the pain, almost to the level immediately following surgery. Thanks to modern medicine for relatively fast acting pain killers!

I broke my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th metatarsal bones while jumping off the side of a bridge, it was about 5 ft, and my sister had just done it before me and she was fine. As soon as I hit the ground I heard a loud crack and I was rolling on the ground in pain. I felt like throwing up and passing out. The worst pain was the first day and first night, and let me just say, I've had kidney stones before due to past problems and the pain level was the exact same with a broken foot. And to top it all off it's at the start of summer break. Oh and one more thing, Tylenol #3 is your best friend when it comes to a broken bone. I was able to sleep a straight 3 hours after I took one.

I just broke both of my feet. I have a twist compound fracture on my 5th metatarsal bone on one foot, the other is completely shattered.thinking I was on the last stair while still being 4 stairs up in the middle of the night. We have hardwood floors ands my feet buckled under me and I screamed so loud! I have a high pain tolerance, I break a toe at least once a week, always slamming my finger in doors, etc. I also had one of my children completely natural and the day this happened was the worst pain in my life!

I shattered my patella into multiple peaces as well as my femur during a head-on car crash. At the time of the break, all I could feel was the intense pain from my knee, I had no idea I had even broken my femur. It wasn't until surgery to fix my knee that it was discovered that my femur was broken as well.

Further to this, once the femur has been fixed from surgery there is only minimal pain from recover compared to the recovery for my patella.

You do not often experience permanent damage from a femur break where as you may never fully recover from a broken patella (personal experience). I now walk with a permanent limp and am unable to bend my knee past 90 degrees.

I broke my patella into a few pieces and required surgery to repair it. At the time of the injury, the pain was unbearable, I was unable to move or speak, only scream out in pain. It's worth mentioning my kneecap was also severely dislocated. After surgery, I had to be very careful to keep up with my pain meds fro the first few weeks, as if they wore off in the night I would wake up screaming in pain. My leg was immobilised in a straight upper thing to ankle brace for 2 months. I'm now 2.5 months in, and I am doing exercises to try to get my leg to bend. I have very little movement and they exercises are excruciating, and impossible at times. the swelling is still very bad.

My surgeon says another 8 weeks before I'm back at work. (In a physical job). That's a total of 4 months off work. Another 6 months at least before I can do any sport other than swim.

From what I've heard, everyones experience with a broken knee is different. Some very painful and requiring surgery and many months to repair, some not as serious and some don't require surgery.

Like most here, I have had my share of injuries over the course of the last 32 years... For bone pain, I would easily say the femur is probably one of the worst pains imaginable. There were days where I would have seriously considered removing the entire leg all together. Due to a birth defect, I needed to have my femurs cut off and reattached with a plate (to be removed no sooner than 12 months post op). I have had to do this twice now in the last 10 year, and I honestly can't tell you a pain worse than the femur. The good news is I only have 2 legs so now that's out of the way... Ribs are definitely a close second, if they didn't heal quickly (compared to femur) this would be number 1 in my book. Because ribs constantly have to move the pain can seem unforgiving and relentless; god forbid you sneeze, laugh, cough or BREATHE! The femur takes months to heal... and even then there is still this dull ache all the time. Not a bone, but the ACL has got to be a close second. When I was younger, a 80mph fast ball from the batting cages just wrecked my hand. Broke all the fingers and dislocated my thumb. I would gladly do that again over any of the above.

I broke my right scaphoid (carpal wrist bone) about 8 months ago and it still hasn't fully recovered. It wasn't very painful to break at first, but within hours it completely seized up my wrist, and was very painful. It required surgery as I needed a screw in my bone.
I had a cast or a splint on for over four straight months, and even after getting the cast off, it is still painful to move, grip, and extend.
The scaphoid is a particularly bad bone to break because it takes so long to recover.

I broke my distal radius, ulna, scaphoid, and tore every imaginable ligament around my thumb. 8 weeks in a cast, 3 more in a splint; possible surgery. I gave birth to my son with NO epidural...NO pain killers. I would do that 5 times over, rather than go through the pain, frustration, and aggravation of these fractures.
it doesn't tickle.

I've broken and ankle, nose, and fingers but the most painful bone to go has been my radial. I had a colles fracture in my right wrist and had to spend 3 nights in hospital and have to operations. I was off work for six weeks. I can no make a first, struggle to write and hold anything. This has definitely been the worst break.

For sure ribs is way more painful than arm or wrist. Like I get it if you full on shatter your arm in like 5 different places but a simple break or crack in the arm is no where near as painful as a rib. Even the slightest damage to a rip can cause immence pain as every token you breath, move your body or your arm or your shoulder or your head - it hurts. Even when you go to lye down to rest, the pressure of your body when you lye down hurts even more so there isn't really a good way to get a break (pardon the pun). The pain also extends down your limbs (often to your shoulder, upper arm, elbow and neck) which then feel have a constant ache as if they had a slight break in then too. Whereas and simple break in arm or wrist or leg - depending on the extremity of the break - you can usually find a comfortable position to rest in and take some meds and you'll be right. People also sympathise as you have crutches and a cast but as with a rib you just gotta let it do its thing, people often forget and so often you get hurt while recovering which really is no fun. As for some of the other breaks I certainly agree that spine, neck, skull and heel are up there.

I broke my ankle on a large jumping castle, I jumped of a ledge around 5-6 meters high and landed on an inflated target, however when I landed I heard a loud snap. I broke one of my growing plates as well as dislocated it. It sucks because you can't walk and it hurts like absolute hell! I had a large metal wire sticking out of my foot, so it could move that growing plate back into place.

I have broken my clavicle twice in my life, each time was the same one (left), and l didn't cry either of the times because it just wasn't painful, but recently l broke both the medial and lateral malleolus which are the ankle joints at the ends of the tibia and fibula. This pain was unbearable, the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. Even the slightest bump made me scream.

Sadly I got into a deadly car accident last week, and my ankle was broken, but thankgod I got out of it alive, the pain was not that bad I'm sure there are worst bone fractures than the ankle fracture, doctor said I'm not gonna be able to walk until 6 weeks have passed, but I guess it couldn't be that bad, at least I'm alive from that deadly car crash that's the most important thing..

If you were to break your sternum, your done. Part of it will puncture the lungs, another part may hit the heart, and even the liver can get hit with the sharp broken parts.

I broke my sternum in a car crash recently. It is extremely painful to breath; to stand up from a sitting position and to bend over. Vicodin and ice packs help a lot.

Most painful thing ever. I fractured mine recently it was the worst experience ever I was having trouble breathing every breath was an umbarible pain shooting acrose my upper body.

I was 11 when I broke my humorous playing tackle football. It hurt pretty bad. Not only that but I had radial nerve palsy in my wrist because some how when the bone broke it cut that nerve. It took me about 7 months to fully recover. It was a lot to ho through because I missed out on a lot of things amd has to do theropy for a year. But now everything's back to normal and I'm happy to be out playing ports again

I've had a broken arm, collarbone and a humerus fracture and dislocation, but the humerus hurt the most. Even more than the collarbone!

I'm in week 3 and the xray still shows the same, no sign of new bone and the pain just gets worse. I feel an incredible pain I would say 9/10. Uncomfortable to sleep and doing therapy hurts so bad.

I recently broke my right calcaneus bone into 3 pieces and several chipped pieces. By far the worst pain I've ever felt. I had to have surgery almost immediately. Dr said it's one of the worst bones to break. Dr also said I broke mine in a way they've never seen before and they are not real sure on recovery time. No weight bearing at all for at least 3 months. Could take up to 2 years to heal according to my Dr. Will most likely need another surgery. Cannot do my job anymore. I am currently a nurse. Dr said that's out. Dr said you can never do physical activities the same, you'll never walk the same, and I'll always have troubles with this foot. All I know is this is terrible. I cannot take care of myself hardly at all. I have to have my leg propted for 20 hours a day above my heart. I'm used to caring for everyone else. I've broken my wrist, toes, ribs, my nose twice. Several sprained ankles and arms. This is by FAR the worst break I've ever had. I think this needs to be higher on this list. Good luck if you too have broken this painful bone.

Mine was an open break. It is very painful and bloody because the head bleeds a lot, but it's the recovery that makes it the worst. Metal plates surgically added. Mouth wired shut for months...imagine all that can happen and it does. Hurts when you shiver, hurts when you hiccup, hurts when you need to yawn, etc.

Plus your stomach wants actual food, but is only getting liquids, so throwing up is a very real possibility...and a painful one as well.

You can't talk, eat, or sometimes breath properly. Wasnt allowed to do anything until I got the wires out because of the possibility of choking or not being able to breath. They make you carry around wire cutters.

I also ripped a nerve so I have limited feeling to one side of my mouth, but trust me I still feel a hell of a lot when I move my jaw a certain way and its been years.

Should be way higher up! I have had broken wrist, ribs, ankle, foot, and by far this is the worst. I am in day 6 and still in pain. Not to mention my mouth getting completely wired shut... this is by far #1 for me!

Complete misery, all my muscles have atrophied from the waist down. Pain wasn't as bad as you would think but, I do have youth on my side. It's been two months, still using a walker to get around. However, I see some folks saying that metal pins cannot be used for a pelvis break/fracture but indeed I do have one and it has helped put my pelvis back in place.

Broke my pelvis in 3 places. 3 screws and a plate helped put it back together. I'm going on 3 months and I'm still stuck in a wheel chair. I have to have someone help with everything. The pain was awful at first but the worst thing is the recovery period. I still don't know when I'll be able to start learning to walk again.

I broke this and basically it can happen that there will be wear and tear on the bones or I don't know how to say it in english. Though the wear and tear will cause me to have more pain the more the time goes on and I will get a new hip earlier than estimated.

I dropped a 60-80 pound science table on my toe on the last day of school and I am hoping that is the worst bone I'll ever break.

I was in a soccer game and defending this girl. I went to stab at the ball but hit it at such a wrong time when it was right against her foot. Felt like kicking a wall. Played the rest of the game, then went to dr. but the pain lasted for almost a month:(

Toe, last week I broke my toe and the bone was sticking out of my toe. It was one of the worst pains I have ever felt.

I fractured my tibia while doing a front flip a gymnastics, didn't hurt as much as I thought it would but it was the worst pain I have ever felt. Lucky I am only out for 6 weeks.

So much pain constantly having to readjust the boot. One week into tibia tibia,and fifth metatarsal break seeing if they will heal without surgery. Don't know how I'm gonna last twelve weeks.

The tibia is your shin bone and is extremely painful to break. You can't walk or do any physical activity for around 12 weeks and your leg will heal but it will never look or feel the same for your whole life

I broke my pinkie finger about 2 months ago. I still cannot bend the top joint fully and it hurts to hold it down fully for more than 30 seconds. I had to get a pin placed because the break was next to the joint and if my bone moved at all I would not be able to move it in the future. They did the surgery two days after I found out I broke it and then a month later took the pin out. When they took the pin out I was on no Anesthesia and My finger was not numbed I was hyperventilating and I almost passed out. This is off topic but the next month I sprained my ankle as soon as my cast was off. Life is Fun Isn't it

Broke my thumb in a motorcycle accident and could touch it for a while after with only mild pain (keep in mind I have a very high pain tolerance). The worst pain came when it was splinted. Most of all it is hard to do almost anything one handed and have to be dependent on someone just to tie my shoes. Pain isn't to bad but mostly frustrating, most pain comes when I forget and make a sudden movement or bump my bad hand or the splint.

You can break a hip bone

An olecranon fracture is an injury to one of the bones of the elbow. The olecranon is the prominent bone that forms the point of the elbow. The bone is actually the end of the ulna, one of the two forearm bones, and it is the attachment of the powerful triceps muscle of the arm. The triceps is the muscle that straightens the elbow, and olecranon fractures can impair an individual's ability to straighten the elbow joint.

Olecranon fractures can occur by either falling directly on the back of the elbow or by the triceps muscle pulling off a fragment of bone from the elbow (a so-called avulsion fracture). Stress fractures are also a possible mechanism of injury to the olecranon, commonly seen in athletes such as baseball pitchers.

Elbows along with knees take very long to heal because not being able to move the joint in a cast for a while allows tissue to build up making it very hard to move the joint which also will cause lots of pain after the cast. Your arm will not be able to straighten for months after the cast. Most other bones stay in a cast for a few weeks and then there done, this is not the case for elbows.

Also broke my nose playing soccer as a goalkeeper. I got kicked in the face on a dive. Even after surgery to help me breathe, it doesn't look right, and I can't breathe out of one nostril. It's huge now, and every time I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of how ugly I look.

My friend slammed my face into a door. It hurt like hell as did the surgery. I think the surgery hurt more than the actual break. If you don't get put to sleep you're basically re-breaking your nose but you know it's going to happen.

Completely obliterated my nose off my own knee on trampoline trying to do a double frontflip, most amount of blood I've seen in my life. 7/10 pain scale compared to everything I've felt, (tailbone is one of em, if you've broken your ass you know what I'm talking about)