Fractured or broken?

[whitehill]

I always thought that fractured meant broken, so whether you had a fractured arm or a broken arm, it was the same thing. But a couple of my friends persist in saying that fractured is less serious than broken and that it means a cracked bone, rather than broken. It's just a silly little thing that has niggled me for ages, so when this came up again yesterday, I thought I would get a definitive answer!

[crisgal]

when my son hurt his finger, he had it x-rayed.
When the doc called us in, she said, "Yes, he has broken it i'm afraid. "She showed us the xr-ay and said "See the fracture there?" !

[whitehill]

Thank you sqad