How long does it take for a broken bone to heal?
A broken bone usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal in adults, but 3 to 4 weeks for a finger and 4 to 6 months for a shinbone (NHS, AAOS). Healing goes through four stages: clot and inflammation, a soft callus of cartilage, a hard callus of new bone, then remodeling that can last for years.
Simplified diagram, not to scale. The dotted curves are estimates; only the healing times by bone and the study figures come from the sources.
How long does it take for a broken bone to heal?
A long bone, broken, seen in cross-section. Choose a situation, then tap a label on the drawing to find out what it is.
Sources: stages of healing (Marsell and Einhorn, Injury, 2011; Einhorn and Gerstenfeld, Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2015); X-rays, children, remodeling (MSD Manual, 2025); healing times by bone (NHS; AAOS OrthoInfo); smoking (Pearson et al., BMJ Open, 2016; Xu et al., 2021; Zura et al., JAMA Surg, 2016). Drawing not to scale; scene timing and strength: estimates.
Keyboard: 1 to 3 situations, Space pause, L slow motion, R start over, ← → previous or next stage.
Frequently asked questions about fractures
Does a broken bone become as strong as before?
Usually yes, but not right away: at the end of remodeling, the break is often almost impossible to see, even on an X-ray (MSD Manual). An arm or a leg usually heals in 6 to 12 weeks (NHS), then the bone remodels for months, sometimes years (Marsell and Einhorn, 2011). During that time, it is less strong than it looks: pain stops well before the bone is strong enough (AAOS). About 1 fracture in 10 heals poorly and needs follow-up care (Einhorn and Gerstenfeld, 2015).
Why keep a broken bone still, and when should it move?
A broken bone is kept still so the pieces stay in place while the callus forms: too much movement gets in the way of healing, while a tiny amount of movement and suitable weight-bearing can help (Marsell and Einhorn, 2011). When to move or put weight on the foot therefore depends on the bone and the treatment chosen. For a shinbone, for example, you need to follow your care team's weight-bearing instructions, and healing takes 4 to 6 months (AAOS). Even after the cast comes off, it is best to limit some movements until the bone is strong (AAOS).
Does smoking slow down fracture healing?
Yes, smoking raises the risk that a fracture heals poorly or not at all. Pooling 40 studies, this risk was 2.2 times higher in smokers, and 1.7 times for fractures alone; healing took on average 27.7 days longer (Pearson et al., BMJ Open, 2016). Another review confirms the risk (2.5 times higher) but finds no clear difference in healing time (Xu et al., 2021). Nicotine in all its forms, including vapes, gum and patches, slows healing (AAOS).
Can you take ibuprofen when you have a fracture?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist, because the studies do not all point the same way. Pooled together, anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen were linked to twice as many delays or nonunions in adults, but not clearly in children, or for a short course or a low dose (Wheatley et al., 2019). In randomized trials, taking them for less than 2 weeks had no clear effect (Al Farii et al., 2021). For a broken leg, the NHS mentions acetaminophen (paracetamol) for pain.
When should you worry under a cast?
Call a doctor or go to the ER if the pain gets worse, if the cast feels too tight, too loose or breaks, if your fingers or toes are numb, swollen, blue or white, if there is a bad smell or discharge, or if you have a fever and chills (NHS). Do not get the cast wet or scratch under it (NHS). The cast is removed at the clinic, by your care team: do not take it off yourself without their go-ahead (Worcestershire NHS).
True or false?
A broken bone always takes 6 weeks to heal.
False. A broken finger often heals in 3 to 4 weeks, most other fractures in 6 to 8 weeks, and a tibia takes 4 to 6 months (AAOS).
A fracture always shows up on an X-ray.
False. A stress fracture or a scaphoid fracture, in the wrist, may only show up on the X-ray once healing has started (MSD Manual).
Kids' bones heal faster.
True. A broken collarbone often heals in 3 to 4 weeks in a child, versus 6 to 8 weeks in an adult (NHS).
This page as text
The same information as the charts, to read without animation: for each chart, the values at the main moments, then the notes with their level of evidence.
The four stages of bone healing
A clot, then a cartilage callus, then new bone, then a long remodeling: the stages overlap. Pain eases well before the bone is strong. Estimated curves, in relative levels, for a well-held long bone in an adult.
| Weeks after the break | Inflammation (dotted) | Soft callus (cartilage) (dotted) | Hard callus (woven bone) (dotted) | Bone strength (dotted) | Pain (dotted) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Break | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | The break |
| 2 wk | 30 | 82 | 3 | 3 | 60 | Week 2 after the break |
| 4 wk | 10 | 80 | 43 | 12 | 30 | Week 4 after the break |
| 8 wk | 0 | 10 | 100 | 50 | 8 | Week 8 after the break |
| 12 wk | 0 | 0 | 90 | 72 | 4 | Week 12 after the break |
| 16 wk | 0 | 0 | 60 | 82 | 2 | Week 16 after the break |
| 20 wk | 0 | 0 | 40 | 90 | 1 | Week 20 after the break |
| 26 wk | 0 | 0 | 25 | 95 | 0 | Week 26 after the break |
Key points
- A clot to start (Until week 1.5, Shown in humans)
Blood from the bone and the marrow forms a clot between the pieces, the hematoma. It acts as the first scaffold for the callus. Source: Marsell et Einhorn, « The biology of fracture healing », Injury, 2011 - The alarm, peaking at 24 hours (Until week 1.5, Seen in animals)
Immune cells send signals that draw in the repair cells. In animals, inflammation peaks at 24 hours and is over by about day 7. Source: Marsell et Einhorn, « The biology of fracture healing », Injury, 2011 - Invisible on X-rays at first (From week 1 to week 4, Shown in humans)
The first callus has no calcium yet: it does not show on an X-ray. A stress fracture or a scaphoid fracture may only appear once healing has started. Source: Campagne, « Overview of fractures », MSD Manual Consumer Version, 2025 - A little movement, not too much (From week 1 to week 6, Seen in animals)
A tiny amount of movement between the pieces and suitable weight-bearing help the callus form; too much movement or load delays healing. Source: Marsell et Einhorn, « The biology of fracture healing », Injury, 2011 - The hard callus, around day 14 in animals (From week 1 to week 8, Seen in animals)
In rodents, the cartilage callus peaks around days 7 to 9, then woven bone replaces it, peaking around day 14. In humans, it takes longer. Source: Marsell et Einhorn, « The biology of fracture healing », Injury, 2011 - Less pain does not mean strong (From week 4 to week 12, Shown in humans)
Pain usually stops well before the bone is strong enough for normal use. Source: AAOS OrthoInfo, « Fractures (Broken Bones) » - A wrist is usable after about 2 months (From week 7 to week 12, Shown in humans)
A broken wrist is strong enough to use after about 2 months, but gripping can hurt for up to a year. Source: Campagne, « Overview of fractures », MSD Manual Consumer Version, 2025 - Remodeling lasts months, even years (From week 12, Shown in humans)
It starts as early as 3 to 4 weeks and can last for years; it goes faster in young people. Source: Marsell et Einhorn, « The biology of fracture healing », Injury, 2011 - 1 fracture in 10 heals poorly (Throughout, Shown in humans)
About 10% of fractures do not heal normally. Source: Einhorn et Gerstenfeld, « Fracture healing: mechanisms and interventions », Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2015 - Estimated curves (Throughout, Hypothesis)
The shape of the curves follows the order of the stages; the weeks vary a lot with the bone, age and treatment.
How many weeks by bone, and by age
The usual times for a bone to heal, from the NHS and the AAOS. Children heal about twice as fast for the collarbone. The curves reach 85% at the start of the range and 100% at the end: this is an estimate.
| Weeks after the break | Collarbone, child (3 to 4 wk) (dotted) | Collarbone, adult (6 to 8 wk) (dotted) | Arm or wrist, adult (6 to 12 wk) (dotted) | Shinbone (tibia), adult (4 to 6 months) (dotted) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Break | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | The break |
| 2 wk | 46 | 11 | 11 | 3 | Week 2 after the break |
| 4 wk | 100 | 46 | 46 | 6 | Week 4 after the break |
| 8 wk | 100 | 100 | 96 | 23 | Week 8 after the break |
| 12 wk | 100 | 100 | 100 | 51 | Week 12 after the break |
| 16 wk | 100 | 100 | 100 | 80 | Week 16 after the break |
| 20 wk | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | Week 20 after the break |
| 26 wk | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Week 26 after the break |
Key points
- A finger, 3 to 4 weeks (Until week 6, Shown in humans)
Finger fractures often heal in 3 to 4 weeks, most other fractures in 6 to 8 weeks or more. Source: AAOS OrthoInfo, « Fractures (Broken Bones) » - The collarbone, twice as fast in children (Until week 10, Shown in humans)
6 to 8 weeks in adults, often 3 to 4 in children; the sling is worn for 2 to 3 weeks. Source: NHS, « Broken collarbone » - Arm, wrist or leg: 6 to 12 weeks (From week 4 to week 14, Shown in humans)
That is the usual time, sometimes longer for the leg. Source: NHS, « Broken arm or wrist », 2026 - Thighbone and shinbone: months (From week 10, Shown in humans)
3 to 6 months for the femur, 4 to 6 months for the tibia; longer if the fracture is open or in several pieces. Source: AAOS OrthoInfo, « Tibia (Shinbone) Shaft Fractures » - Younger means faster (Throughout, Shown in humans)
Children heal much faster and better than adults; older people, more slowly. Source: Campagne, « Overview of fractures », MSD Manual Consumer Version, 2025 - Estimated curves (Throughout, Hypothesis)
Only the ranges of weeks come from the sources; the shape of the curves is estimated.
Smoking, and what slows healing
In smokers, a fracture has about twice the risk of not healing, or healing very late. Estimated curves: share of fractures healed, with a 4-week delay (27.7 days on average in one review).
| Weeks after the break | Nonsmoker (dotted) | Smoker (dotted) | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Break | 0 | 0 | The break |
| 2 wk | 1 | 0 | Week 2 after the break |
| 4 wk | 4 | 1 | Week 4 after the break |
| 8 wk | 35 | 5 | Week 8 after the break |
| 12 wk | 70 | 32 | Week 12 after the break |
| 16 wk | 86 | 66 | Week 16 after the break |
| 20 wk | 92 | 82 | Week 20 after the break |
| 26 wk | 95 | 91 | Week 26 after the break |
Key points
- Twice the risk (From week 8, Shown in humans)
Pooling 40 studies, the risk of delayed healing or nonunion was 2.2 times higher in smokers, 1.7 times for fractures alone. Source: Pearson et coll., « Do smokers have greater risk of delayed and non-union after fracture, osteotomy and arthrodesis? », BMJ Open, 2016 - 27.7 more days on average (From week 6 to week 20, Shown in humans)
In 8 studies (923 cases), smokers' bones took on average 27.7 days longer to heal. Source: Pearson et coll., « Do smokers have greater risk of delayed and non-union after fracture, osteotomy and arthrodesis? », BMJ Open, 2016 - Another review, the same warning (From week 8, Shown in humans)
Across 71 studies, the risk of nonunion was 2.5 times higher, with no clear difference in healing time. Source: Xu et coll., « The influence of smoking and alcohol on bone healing », eClinicalMedicine, 2021 - Nicotine in all its forms (Throughout, Shown in humans)
Cigarettes, vapes, gum or patches: nicotine slows bone healing. Source: AAOS OrthoInfo, « Nonunions » - Quitting before surgery (Until week 6, Shown in humans)
Quitting smoking at least 4 weeks before surgery clearly reduced wound infections. Source: Xu et coll., « The influence of smoking and alcohol on bone healing », eClinicalMedicine, 2021 - What also matters (From week 12, Shown in humans)
Out of 309,330 fractures, 4.9% did not heal; diabetes and taking anti-inflammatories together with opioids raised this risk. Study funded by a medical device maker. Source: Zura et coll., « Epidemiology of fracture nonunion in 18 human bones », JAMA Surg, 2016 - Anti-inflammatories (Until week 8, Shown in humans)
In adults, they were linked to twice as many delays; no clear link in children, or for a short course or a low dose. In trials, less than 2 weeks had no clear effect (Al Farii, 2021). Talk it over with your doctor. Source: Wheatley et coll., « Effect of NSAIDs on bone healing rates: a meta-analysis », J Am Acad Orthop Surg, 2019 - Diabetes in mice (From week 2 to week 12, Seen in animals)
In diabetic mice, the cartilage of the callus is removed too early and less bone forms. Source: Einhorn et Gerstenfeld, « Fracture healing: mechanisms and interventions », Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2015 - Estimated curves (Throughout, Hypothesis)
The 4-week delay and the risk come from the studies; the shape of the curves and the plateaus are estimated.
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