![]() Seek treatment early for childhood fracturesįractures and injuries in children are a cause for concern. If there is still significant bone displacement after closed reduction is done, surgery will be required to better align the broken bone, with screws and pins being used to fix the broken pieces in place. It is important to restore joint congruity as it may otherwise lead to arthritis developing in the future. Treatment focuses on ensuring there is joint congruity through casting or closed reduction. X-ray or Computerised Tomography (CT) scans are used to diagnose these fractures. Type 3 and 4 fractures make up about 10% of fractures each. Type 4 fractures damage both the growth plate and the bone shaft, breaking through the end of the bone as well. They typically affect children above the age of 10 years old, when ankle fractures become more difficult to treat as the child enters adolescence. Type 3 fractures damage the growth plate as well as the joint. Your child will be put under anaesthesia for this procedure. This is a non-surgical procedure where the doctor sets the bones in position by pushing or pulling the bone. In some cases, a procedure called Closed Reduction may be required. Treatment for these fractures usually does not require surgery and consists of using a cast to allow it to heal in place. This fracture cuts through the growth plate and cracks through a part of the bone shaft as well. Type 2 fractures are the most common type of ankle injury, making up about 75% of fractures. On x-ray scans, there may be no obvious deformities seen. Younger children tend to incur type 1 fractures. About 5% of fractures are type 1 fractures. In type 1 fractures, the fracture cuts through the growth plate and separates the bone end from the bone shaft. Types of Salter-Harris fractures Salter-Harris Type 1 Fractures Possible bone deformity or displacement.Tenderness and swelling around the ankle.Not being able to rest weight on the ankle.Fractures involving the growth plate are classified according to the Salter-Harris (SH) classification system, which show the different types of fractures and treatment required. The pins are removed a few weeks after surgery, once healing begins.Īnkle fractures affect children of different age groups differently. Where the fracture is more serious or where bones are displaced, surgery would be required to realign the bones and hold them in place with metal pins for healing to happen. In the case of mild fractures where bones are not displaced, treatment consists of using a cast or splint for about a month for the fracture to heal. X-ray scans are used to determine the type and location of fracture. Numbness in the hand due to a possible nerve injury.This overloads the elbow, causing a fracture, and can sometimes occur together with a wrist injury as well. It tends to occur in children, between 5 – 7 years old, when they fall down onto an outstretched hand. It is an injury to the upper arm bone at its narrowest point, slightly above the elbow. In cases where the bones are misaligned or the child is older (10 – 15 years), surgery may be needed to realign the bones and prevent deformity.Įlbow fractures are another common childhood injury and the most common of these is the Supracondylar Humerus Fracture. Wrist fractures tend to heal well and can be treated with a cast for approximately 2 – 3 weeks. The most common type of growth plate injury is a buckle fracture, where one side of the bone bends but does not break all the way through. X-ray scans are used to assess the type of fracture sustained and if the growth plate is affected. They typically happen when a child stretches out their hand to break a fall. Wrist fractures are the most common fractures in children. The 3 most common fractures in children occur in the wrist, elbow and ankle. Most common paediatric fractures and injuries Generally, the younger the child, and the closer the fracture is to the growth plate, the better chance there is for a fracture to heal. In adolescence, when growth is complete, these growth plates close up and are replaced by solid, mature bone.Ĭhildren are more prone to fractures rather than ligament sprains as their bones and growth plates are weaker than their ligaments. Called growth plates, they determine the length and shape of their bones as they grow up. Children and adolescents have growing tissue near each end of the bones in their arms and legs. Fractures are common in children, and as many as 1 in 3 children sustain fractures in their lifetime.
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