Fractures across a growth plate

A green stick fracture is an incomplete fracture in a long bone of a child who has not finished growing. A fracture involving a growth plate (the cartilage plate near the end of the bone of a growing child where growth occurs) can lead to disturbances in growth of the bone, even if treated properly.

Review Date: 2/8/2024
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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