Homeopathic Healing for Fractures

First Appeared in Homeopathy Today – May 2003

immediately after the injury

Arnica: First stage of a fracture with swelling and bruising. Give as soon after the injury as possible to reduce the usual bruising and swelling. Give it 2-4 times daily for the first week or two after the fracture alternating it with other remedies as needed and stopping it once the swelling has gone down.

Ledum: For bruising with black and blue discoloration and pain that is much better for cold (and worse for warmth).

healing the pain

Symphytum: The #1 remedy for broken bones. Symphytum eases the pain and speeds up the healing of all fractures. Give in any potency and give it 2-4 times daily repeating it as often as needed if it gives relief from pain. I’ve seen it work well in potencies from 6X to 10M.

Bryonia: Some fractures are incredibly painful with stitching pains that are worse in the evenings as well as worse for the very slightest movement. The person may be extremely irritable and doesn’t want to be disturbed at all.

Ruta graveolens: This remedy is for pains that feel sore or bruised. With a fracture on or near a joint, there may have been a sprain (with injury to tendons) or inflammation to the covering of the bone (the periosteum) for which Ruta is the main remedy. The person may be weak and weary, lame mentally and physically.

healing the emotional body

Conium: The shock of the injury causes weakness, dizziness and confusion. 
Phosphoric acid: Apathetic and depressed after the shock of the injury. Just lies there and says very little. Confused and forgetful. Isn’t thirsty or hungry.

Staphysagria: Angry and resentful for what happened. Indignant and blaming usually towards somebody who is perceived as having caused the injury. Goes over and over what happened in their head, especially at night when they are trying to sleep.

other obvious remedies along the way

Give other well-indicated remedies that demand to be given at any time, like the Arsenicum I gave to Maria. Arsenicum is a remedy for people with diarrhea and a thirst for sips as well as despair and chilliness! 

Hypericum: For fractures to nerve-rich parts of the body (fingers and toes) with a great deal of pain in the nerves (typically shooting pains).

Alternate it with Arnica if there’s swelling as well especially in the first week or so after the injury. Repeated fractures always need the support and advice of a professional homeopath.

helping bones that are slow to heal

Once the acute pain, swelling, and bruising have cleared, Calcarea phosphorica and Silica (in 6X potencies according to the Schuessler Tissue Salt theory) will help the bones to complete their mending process. You can alternate them, one week on Calcarea phosphorica (3-4 times daily) and one week on Silica (3-4 times daily) for up to 8 weeks during the final healing period.

There are many other homeopathic remedies for people whose bones are slow to heal after a fracture, but their selection depends on the skill of a professional homeopath who can take a person’s whole symptom picture into account and especially any other health concerns that may be troublesome at the time.

first-aid prescribing guidelines

• Use your instincts to guide you you may know more than you think you do especially when it comes to first-aid situations.
• Prescribe based on what is obvious and clear and most bothersome at any given moment in time.
• Don’t be afraid to prescribe hard and fast.
• Change the remedy:
  • As the symptom picture changes
  • If a clear symptom picture or strong keynote symptoms for a particular remedy surface at any time
  • If the remedy you have given doesn’t help.
• Don’t be afraid of high potencies in a first-aid situation: 200C and 1M are both great potencies for serious accidents.
• Repeat the remedies as needed always stopping on improvement:
  • Every 5-30 minutes for very serious accidents/injuries or a 
    lot of pain
  • Every 1-2 hours for less serious complaints
  • Every 4-8 hours for moderately serious complaints
• Once or twice a day for mild complaints.
• Do not repeat a high potency too often unless it is needed often.
• If a remedy helps, stop giving it routinely and wait for the symptoms to guide you as to when (or if) to repeat it.

Copyright ©2018 Miranda Castro