For weeks, Ijegun community in Alimosho had been thrown into darkness following a persistent power outage.
The blackout stretched through Christmas Day 2024 and into the New Year 2025, leaving residents without electricity and, in many compounds, without water since pumping machines could not work.
In one of the affected households, 25-year-old Beracah decided to fetch water from a source four streets away.
It was a tiring routine, but with no light and no way to pump water at home, she had little choice.
On her second trip back on January 3, disaster struck. As she carefully balanced a bucket of water along the muddy road, she slipped and fell. The heavy bucket crashed against her right ankle, breaking the bone. She was traumatized and wished it was a dream she would wake up from, but it was her reality.
Beracah’s story is not unique. Across Nigeria, accidents like this happen daily, and when bones break, families are forced to make a difficult decision: rush to a hospital or turn to a traditional bone setter.
Fractures are common across the country, but how people choose to treat them often sparks debate.
“The Standard Is Orthopedic Care”
To better understand the risks and realities, Naija News spoke with Dr. Olusina Ajidahun, a radiologist and Health influencer who has worked closely with orthopedic teams.
“The most effective way to treat a fracture in Nigeria is to visit an orthopedic surgeon. There is no other standard,” he explained.
“A fracture is not always just a broken bone from an accident. Sometimes it is caused by underlying conditions like cancer or long-term steroid abuse. If you don’t address the root cause, the patient can keep coming back with new fractures.”
Contrary to public fear, the doctor clarified that not every fracture requires surgery or metal implants. “People assume that once you go to a hospital, the next step is operation. That’s not true. Many fractures are managed without surgery sometimes with a cast, sometimes with splints, sometimes with rest. Surgery is only for specific cases.”
But why then do Nigerians still troop to bone setters? The consultant listed several reasons: ignorance, cost, accessibility, and fear of surgery.
“Bone setters are cheap, close by, and have been used for generations, so people trust them,” he said.
“But what many don’t realize is the danger malunion, disunion, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, infection, even amputation. We see patients every week who come to us after traditional treatment has failed, and their cases are often worse by then.”
He warned particularly about compartment syndrome, a condition where too much pressure builds inside the muscles around a fracture.
“If it’s not recognized early, the limb can die. That is one of the fastest routes to amputation,” he added.
For him, the biggest misconception is that hospitals rush into amputations. “That’s not true. Amputation is always a last resort, usually when the leg or arm is already dead from delayed or wrong treatment. Sadly, many of those cases first went to bone setters.”
“The first thing anyone with a fracture should do is go to the hospital for proper diagnosis, usually through an X-ray,” he explained.
“Bones are very delicate. If they are not set the right way from the beginning, the person may live with deformity or pain for life.”
“When you delay hospital treatment, the bone can heal wrongly. I have seen cases where patients come late with infected wounds, stiff joints, or bones that are crooked because they were tied badly,” he said.
“My advice is simple: if you have a fracture, don’t gamble with your health. Go to the hospital immediately.”
“With X-rays, scans, surgery when necessary, and physiotherapy, we can restore the patient’s life. Traditional methods cannot give you that,” he concluded.
“God Gave Us Herbs And Hands”
But in a small workshop tucked within a busy street in Ijegun, Lagos, a traditional bone setter, Mr. Adewale (not his real name), shook his head when asked about hospitals.
For him, metal implants and surgery are not the answer.
“God gave us herbs and hands to heal bones,” he said confidently. “When you put metal inside someone’s body, you are only creating future problems. The bone will never be natural again. That is why many people come to us instead of hospitals.”
Adewale, like many bone setters, learned the practice from his father and has been treating patients for over two decades.
He insisted that his methods which involves a mix of herbal ointments, massage, and tightly wrapped bamboo splints restore bones faster and without the high bills of hospitals.
“Some doctors are too quick to say amputation. Here, we don’t amputate. We save the leg.”
The Cost Of Choice
Still, the statistics tell a sobering story. According to Health experts, complications from traditional bone-setting contribute to thousands of preventable disabilities in Nigeria every year.
Patients often arrive at hospitals weeks later with infected wounds, stiff joints, or bones that healed in the wrong shape.
At that point, treatment is harder, longer, and more expensive.
After weeks of pain and frustration, Beracah’s family took her from one traditional bone setter to another.
The first attempt did little to ease her condition. By the time she got to the second bone setter, her bone had already healed in malunion, leaving her ankle bent in the wrong position.
Still, her family hoped for a miracle and tried a third bone setter. But nothing changed. She could walk, but only with a limp. Her once active life had been reduced to endless pain and half-measures.
It was only after she was finally taken to an orthopaedic hospital that the full picture became clear.
Doctors told her she needed surgery and metal implants to correct the damage.
She agreed, and the operation was done.
Three months later, Beracah is walking without pain. She can dance, run, and do things she thought she had lost forever.
But those eight months of her life spent moving from one bone setter to another remain a painful reminder of what could have been avoided.
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Bone setter, Fracture, Orthopaedic Hospital,
