Broken Bones in Children

How are fractures in children different to adults?
1. The bones are more pliable and often tend to bend rather than break. When the bone bends it is called a greenstick fracture (like a green tree branch). The bone will only be broken on one side. These often happen in the forearm bones.
2. Children have an amazing capacity to heal. For this reason often fractures are treated differently than adults. Like a break in the thigh bone (femur) can often be treated with a hip spica, a long cast, compared to in an adult where often a rod will need to be inserted into the bone to help healing.
3. Children have growth plates at the end of their bones. This is where the growing of the bones takes place. When a fracture involves the growth plate, it can have effects on the growth of the bone and that is why these fractures need to be watched closely.


How do I tell if my child has a broken bone?
Your child may have swelling, bruising or deformity of the affected part. It may be too painful to touch the area or weight bear. A snapping sound may have been heard during the injury.


What should I do if I think my child has a fracture?
1. Apply a cold compress, like a bag of frozen peas, with a tea towel on the skin. 2. Remove affected clothing if you can. 3. Splint the area. Use a rolled up newspaper or kitchen implement, put a crepe bandage around it and tape it up. If you do not have a crepe then you can use some first aid tape. If there are bones sticking out through the skin, call an ambulance. Do not touch the bones. Keep your child lying down.


Common Sites in Children
These include the forearm and mid forearm, the elbow, the clavicle, the tibia and sometimes the femur (thigh bone).

Treatment in Hospital
If the limb looks deformed, it will probably need to be manipulated to straighten up the bones. This is most often done under a light general anaesthetic. Often a plaster of Paris cast is put on. This is essentially a crepe bandage that is impregnated with plaster and then the bandage is wrapped around the affected limb. Children may need these from 2-8 weeks depending on the fracture. Femur fractures take a bit longer to heal. Often after a few weeks (when the swelling has gone down) the cast may be changed to a Fiberglas cast, which is lighter. Some bones only require a sling like the clavicle or collarbone fracture.