Broken bones are common in childhood, especially of the wrist, forearm and elbow. Children’s bones are different from adults’, and they are treated differently.
Growth plates are weaker than the surrounding bone, so they are often involved in fractures. Most heal without problems. Occasionally an injury disturbs growth, causing a limb to grow shorter or at an angle. Fractures involving the growth plate may need follow-up for a year or more to check that growth continues normally.
Most children’s fractures are treated in a cast or splint, sometimes after the bone has been straightened under anaesthetic. Surgery is needed for some fractures, including many elbow fractures, displaced fractures that can’t be held in a cast, and fractures that involve a joint or growth plate. Fixation in children usually uses smooth wires or flexible nails, which cause little damage to growing bone, and are often removed once the fracture has healed.
Take your child to an emergency unit if a limb is obviously deformed, very swollen, or the child won’t use it. In young children who can’t yet explain their symptoms, refusing to walk or to use an arm can be the main sign of a fracture.
Dr S. Ragunandan.