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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffAround 85 percent of growth plate fractures heal with no complications. The following factors can increase the risk of twisted or stunted bone growth.
- Severity of the injury. If the growth plate has been shifted, shattered or crushed, the risk of limb deformity is greater. Reduced blood supply to the tip of the bone also increases this risk.
- Age of the child. Younger children have more years of growth ahead of them, so they are at risk of abnormalities for a longer period of time.
- Location of the injury. Some growth plates grow more than others. Risk increases with injuries to the growth plates that grow the most — for example, the ones around the knee.
References
- Growth Plate Fractures, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, accessed 7/31/08, http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=244&topcategory=Children
- Questions and Answers About Growth Plate Injuries, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, accessed 7/31/08, http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/growth_plate/growth.htm
- Kay, BK-B, Chapter 42 - Orthopedics, Children's Dislocations and Fractures, In: Doherty GM, CURRENT Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment, 12th Edition, 2006, The McGraw Hill Company, accessed 7/21/08, http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=23
- Green NE, Chapter 8 - Fractures of the Forearm, Wrist and Hand: Management of Specific Injuries: Growth Plate Injuries To The Distal Radius and Ulna. In: Skeletal Trauma in Children, 3rd ed., 2003, Saunders, accessed on 7/23/08 through MDConsult, http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/100201301-4/728371990/1219/127.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-9294-X..50013-2--cesec62_310
