Callus
Definition
The new bone tissue formed at the site of a fracture during healing. Passes through stages of haematoma, fibrous callus (woven bone), hard callus, and progressive remodelling to lamellar bone over 6 to 12 months. Its presence at a fracture site confirms the individual survived the fracture long enough for repair to begin: at least 2 to 6 weeks.
- Definition
- New bone tissue formed during fracture healing
- Stages
- Haematoma, fibrous callus, hard callus, remodelling
- Remodelling time
- 6 to 12 months to lamellar bone
- Minimum survival time
- 2 to 6 weeks for visible callus
Common questions
Why is the presence of callus at a fracture site significant in a skeletal trauma case?+
Because callus formation takes at least a couple of weeks to become visible, its presence proves the individual survived the injury for that minimum period rather than dying immediately, which matters for distinguishing antemortem trauma with survival from a fatal or perimortem fracture.
How does callus help distinguish an old healed fracture from a fresh perimortem break?+
A perimortem or postmortem fracture shows no callus at all because no biological healing response occurred, while an antemortem fracture shows callus in some stage of formation or, if fully healed, remodelled lamellar bone with little trace of the original break, giving a rough timeline of when the injury occurred relative to death.
Related terms
- Behrensmeyer Weathering Stages
- A six-stage (0-5) macroscopic scale for characterising the degree of environmental weathering on bone, published by Anna Kay Behrensmeyer in Paleobiology (1978)....
- Buikstra-Ubelaker Standards
- The 'Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains' (1994, Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series 44), edited by Jane Buikstra and Douglas...
- Eburnation
- The polished, ivory-like surface produced on bone when articular cartilage is completely lost in severe osteoarthritis and the opposing subchondral bone surfaces...
- Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)
- The smallest number of distinct individuals required to account for all skeletal elements present in an assemblage. Determined by identifying the element...
- Pathology
- In skeletal osteology, a disease process or injury that occurred during the individual's lifetime and left a detectable trace on the skeleton...
- Periostitis
- Inflammation of the periosteum resulting in the deposition of new woven or lamellar bone on the outer cortical surface. Produced by infection,...
- Plexiform Bone (Taphonomy Context)
- In the pseudopathology context, the presence of plexiform bone structure in a cortical cross-section is used to exclude human origin rather than...
- Pseudopathology
- Postmortem modification of bone by a specific agent (rodents, carnivores, plant roots, mechanical forces) that superficially resembles a disease process or antemortem...
- Taphonomy
- The systematic modification of bone by environmental processes after death, operating over the burial or exposure interval. Includes weathering, soil staining, sun...