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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffBroken bones, even greenstick fractures, need to be immobilized so that they can grow back together. Casts are the most common way to keep a bone still, but your doctor may decide that a removable splint could work just as well. The benefit of a splint is that your child might be able to take it off briefly for a bath or shower.
Most casts now are made of a water-resistant material and are available in a variety of colors or designs. Unless the lining of the cast is also waterproof, your child should not go swimming wearing a cast.
Your doctor may want to X-ray the bone again at a later date to make sure it's healing properly.
Children's bones tend to heal faster than do those of adults, so your child's cast or splint may be removed or replaced with a smaller cast in as little as three to four weeks.
- Forearm fractures in children. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00039. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Forearm fractures. In: Marx JA, et al, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00048-7--s0160&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00048-7--s0190&uniq=215050869&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=1040236330#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00048-7--s0160%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Mathison DJ, et al. General principles of fracture management: Fracture patterns and description in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Fractures. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://merck.com/mmpe/sec21/ch309/ch309b.html. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Bone health. National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/bone_health.cfm. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 1, 2010.
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