The word 'fracture' in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (4th edition) bears its ordinary meaning, not a technical or medical meaning. A medical panel assessing whole person impairment under the AMA Guides errs in law if it applies a medical meaning of 'fracture' that excludes breaks caused by surgical procedures on the basis that such breaks do not compromise structural integrity. Considerations of the origin or purpose underlying a fracture are not relevant to whether a 'fracture' exists for the purposes of the AMA Guides.
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