Breaking down the facts about fractures
Thousands of children, adolescents and young adults come through the doors of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Orthopedic Center every year with the same diagnosis – fracture. Whether on the wrist or the ankle or anywhere in between, a fracture can be painful and restricting to an active child or teen.
What is a fracture?
A fracture is a bone that is partially or completely broken. There are two types of fractures:
A complete fracture is when a bone is broken into two or more pieces.
An incomplete fracture is when a bone is cracked or partially broken. Incomplete fractures are more common during childhood, because a child’s growing bones are bendable and resilient, which means they tend to buckle or bend a lot before breaking.
What are growth plate fractures?
Children and adolescents have open-growth plates (areas of growing tissue from which bone grows) at each end of their long bones. Injuries to these growth plates account for 15-30% of all childhood fractures and usually heal without any problems.
But occasionally they can result in limb-length discrepancies or angular deformities. With growth plate fractures, explains Boston Children’s Hospital’s Orthopedic Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. Peter Waters, “A child should be followed by an orthopedist to make sure the bone is growing properly after the fracture heals.”
Did you know? About 30% of growth plate fractures occur during participation in competitive sports such as football, gymnastics and basketball. Anoth...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: Health & Wellness Kids' Safety Dr. Peter Waters Orthopedic Center Orthopedic Urgent Care Clinic Source Type: news
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