Broken Bones and Fractures

Growth Plate Injuries

A growth plate is an area of growing tissue near the end of some bones in children. Each of the long bones, like a femur, has a pair of growth plates – one at each end. These growth plates can shape and determine the future length of the adult bone. When children reach adulthood, the growth plates close, and they’re replaced by solid bone.

In comparison to other bones, growth plates are not as strong. This makes growth plates susceptible to injury.

Since they are the weakest area of a child’s skeleton, any injury could cause severe damage to a growth plate. If it’s shifted, broken, or crushed, a bony bridge can form. When this happens, it often results in an abnormality, like stunted growth.

If your child has suffered this injury due to someone else’s negligence, call The Barnes Firm immediately or contact us online.

Reduction of Broken Bones

Reductions can put a broken bone back into its proper alignment. These are necessary procedures, and there are two options:

• Closed reduction – This can be performed when there’s a single break, and the broken bone has not pierced the skin. A doctor or other healthcare provider can push or “pop” the broken bone back into position, and place the affected area in a cast or splint to keep it from moving.
• Open reduction – This procedure requires surgery to get a broken bone back into its proper alignment. In this case, the bones will be held in place with screws or metal plates that are attached to the bone. These objects help keep the bone in place while it heals.

What is an Open Fracture?

These are some of the most serious types of injuries, and occur when a broken bone punctures and protrudes through the skin. These fractures require immediate medical treatment, and surgery is usually required to clean the area and put the bone back in place. Since there’s an open wound, individuals with open fractures are susceptible to infection.

Open fractures are usually associated with high-impact injuries like car accidents or sports injuries.

Healing a Fracture Fast

It’s important for any broken bones to be aligned and put back in place so it can properly heal. One way to realign these broken bones is by using a cast or a splint. These injuries can take several weeks to heal, but not all fractures can be fixed without surgery.

When there’s an open fracture, surgical repair of the bones may be necessary. These procedures often use rods, plates and screws to keep the bone in proper alignment. These injuries can take months to heal.

In most cases, physical therapy is not only strongly recommended, it may be necessary.

All these procedures can be painful and costly, but if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, their insurance company can be held liable for your medical bills and lost wages.