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Typically, it takes six to 12 weeks for a bone to heal, but hard-to-heal areas take longer; for example, scaphoid fractures in the wrist can take six months. Children recover much faster than adults, with injuries in older adults taking the longest amount of time to heal.
This article provides a comprehensive review of the stages of human bone healing and discusses the intricate biological mechanisms involved, from the initial inflammatory response to the final remodeling phase.
Bone generally takes six to 12 weeks to heal to a significant degree. In general, children's bones heal faster than those of adults. The foot and ankle surgeon will determine when the patient is ready to bear weight on the area.
Most people will reach their peak bone mass between the ages of 25 and 30. By the time we reach age 40, we slowly begin to lose bone mass. We can, however, take steps to avoid severe bone loss over time. For most of us, bone loss can be significantly slowed through proper nutrition and regular exercise.
Increases in chronic inflammation—not the passage of time—is the main reason why injured bones do not heal as well with age. This is the finding of a study in mice and humans published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on March 18, 2019.