Pediatric Fractures

You see it all the time. Little Jimmy is crutching around school with a lime-green cast. All his friends are signing it. He’s out of soccer for four weeks. According to a recent journal article, pediatric fractures are on the rise. However children are more agile and actually able to avoid more injuries than adults can. Children have different biomechanics as well as increased elasticity (returns to shape) and plasticity (stays bent).

Broken bones can show up in the young athlete, especially when the intensity of the training changes. In kids under 10, acute fractures can result from just jumping 3 or 4 feet off the stairs or couch. Also, be weary of a child that thinks they “sprained” an ankle. Straining the ligaments on the outside of the ankle is hard to do for children, and is more likely to be a fracture of the fibula, the outside leg bone.

Bone fractures can be tricky with children due to the presence of growth plates. These serve as the area where new bone is formed and is how many of our bones increase in length. Sometimes these can be damaged with certain fractures and may lead to partial or complete growth arrest, with a possible angular deformity. There’s a system for these known as the Salter-Harris Classification. This rates the fracture as well as its involvement with the growth plates.

To diagnose a pediatric fracture, your podiatrist will want to obtain a careful history and thorough physical. They will also want to examine x-rays of the foot and leg to evaluate the condition. If further studies are needed, a bone scan, CT scan, or MRI may be ordered. Depending on the fracture, the area of interest will be put in a cast or brace. For your children’s foot and ankle needs, be sure to come by and see Dr. Grimm or Dr. Pattison.