About this topic
Growth plates are areas of growing tissue at the ends of bone. Growth plates are made of a soft tissue called cartilage. The cartilage later changes into bone making the bones bigger. Growth plates are weaker than the normal bone and are at risk to get hurt. When a child grows, the bones and muscles do not grow at the same speed. Muscles attach to bones, often near the growth plate. This can put stress on the growth plates and lead to an injury. Growth plates can get swollen and they can also break. A break in the growth plate is called a growth plate fracture. Growth plate fractures most often happen in: ‚
- Fingers
- Lower arm bone
- Lower leg bones
- Foot
- Upper thigh bone
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Rest. Allow your injury to heal before you do slow movements.
- Ice ¢ ˆ ’ Prop your arm or leg on pillows. Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
- Prop your arm or leg on pillows to help with swelling.
- Compression ¢ ˆ ’ Lightly wrap a compression bandage around the injured area or wear a compression stocking or sleeve to lessen swelling.
- Brace or neoprene sleeve for support and swelling
- Exercises
- Cast or splint to keep the joint in a certain position
- Crutches to take weight off the injured leg if the problem is the leg
- Inserts for your shoes if the problem is with your foot. These are foot orthotics.
What follow-up care is needed?
The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits. The doctor may send your child to physical therapy. The doctor may have your child see a bone specialist called an orthopedic surgeon. ‚
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling, like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). These are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
- Help with pain, like acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Children younger than 18 should not take aspirin. This can lead to a very bad health problem. ‚
Will physical activity be limited?
Your child may need to rest for a while. Your child should not do physical activity that makes the health problem worse. Your child may not be able to run, work out, or play sports until the health problem gets better. Based on how bad the injury is, your child may be limited for a few weeks to a few months. ‚
What problems could happen?
If a growth plate fracture is not treated right away, bone growth could slow down or stop. It could lead to the bone getting deformed or being shorter than the other side that is not injured. ‚
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Stay active and work out to keep your muscles strong and flexible.
- Warm up slowly and stretch before you work out. Try doing some light activity before stretching. This will heat up your muscles. Warm muscles stretch better than cool muscles. Walking is a good light activity.
- Keep a healthy weight so there is not extra stress on your joints. Eat a healthy diet with calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones healthy.
- Wear the right equipment when playing sports.
- Wear supportive shoes. Do not go barefoot.
- Avoid running on hard surfaces.
- Be careful when doing activities that have lots of jumping and twisting.
- If you are a young baseball pitcher, follow guidelines for pitch counts.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Pain or swelling gets worse
- Health problem is not better or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what may help ease my pain.
- I can tell you what activities are best for me.
- I can tell you what I will do if I am not feeling better.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/growth_plate_injuries.html ‚
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases ‚
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Growth_Plate_Injuries/default.asp ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚