User:Keithlah21/Sandbox

Childrens Fractures

Children’s fractures differ from adult fractures in many ways and involve injuries such as greenstick and growth plate fractures. Children’s bones are more pliable than those found in adults and this can mean different forms of treatment are required when a fracture occurs.

Greenstick Fractures

Greenstick fractures occur when an impact on one side of the body cause a fracture in the bone. Greenstick fractures are very common in children due to the pliable nature of their bones. The injury is referred to as a greenstick fracture since only one side of a bone may be damaged while the other remains intact, like the flexible nature of a young twig.

Treatment

Broken bones, even greenstick fractures, need to be immobilized so that they can grow back together. Casts are the most common way to keep a bone still, but your doctor may decide that a removable splint could work just as well. The benefit of a splint is that your child might be able to take it off briefly for a bath or shower. Your doctor may want to X-ray the bone again after seven to 10 days to make sure it's healing properly. Children's bones tend to heal faster than do those of adults, so your child's cast or splint may be removed or replaced with a smaller cast in as little as three to four weeks.

Growth Plate Fractures

The bones of children and adults share many of the same risks for injury. However, a child's bones are also subject to a unique injury called a growth plate fracture. Growth plate fractures often require immediate attention because the long-term consequences may include limbs that are crooked or of unequal length. Most growth plate fractures, however, are at low risk for problems, particularly in those who are near the end of growth. Appropriate assessments made by an orthopaedic surgeon experienced in orthopaedics, will determine the nature of the growth plate injury, will provide counselling about treatment options, and will allow for longer term follow up to assess the outcome of the injuries. The growth plate (physis) is an area of developing tissue near the ends of long bones, between the widened part of the shaft of the bone (the metaphysis) and the end of the bone (the epiphysis). The growth plate regulates and helps determine the length and shape of the mature bone.

Who is at risk?

•	Although all children who are still growing are at risk, girls and boys near the end of their growth period are especially vulnerable.

•	Growth plate fractures occur twice as often in boys as in girls.

•	One third of all growth plate injuries occur in competitive sports, such as football, basketball, or gymnastics. •	About 20 percent of growth plate fractures occur as a result of recreational activities, such as biking, sledding, skiing, or skateboarding. Fractures can result from a single traumatic event, such as a fall or car accident, or from chronic stress and overuse. Most growth plate fractures occur in the long bones of the fingers (phalanges) and the outer bone of the forearm (radius). They are also common in the lower bones of the leg (the tibia and fibula).

Treatment

Growth plate fractures are assessed depending on the degree of damage to the growth plate itself. Treatment depends on the fracture type. Sometimes it does not require surgical intervention and a cast is applied. Alternatively, more serious injuries do require surgery and further specialist treatment is needed. In addition, there are other factors that may affect the bone growth and fracture healing. These include such things as the age and health of the patient, associated injuries, and the amount of displacement of the fractured ends of the bone (occurring through the growth plates). Growth plate fractures must be watched carefully to ensure proper long-term results. In some cases, a bony bridge will form that prevents the bone from getting longer or will cause a curve of the bone. Orthopaedic surgeons are developing techniques that enable them to remove the bony bar and insert fat, cartilage, or other materials to prevent it from reforming. In other cases, the fracture actually stimulates growth so that the injured bone is longer than the uninjured bone. Surgical techniques can help achieve more even length. Regular follow-up visits to the doctor should continue for at least a year after the fracture. Complicated fractures, as well as fractures to the thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) may need to be followed until the child reaches skeletal maturity.

If you have suffered a personal injury of this nature due to no fault of your own, according to Legal Advice Helpline a claim for personal injury could be pursued. Legal Advice Helpline can provide expert advice on how to make a claim.

See Also

Bone Fractures

Greenstick Fracture

Growthplate fracture