Growth plate injuries

Growing up isn’t easy, but it sure doesn’t need to be painful. Unfortunately, growth plate injuries are not uncommon in kids and teens. At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, our attentive health care professionals can help treat these injuries so kids can get back to leading healthy, active lifestyles.

What are growth plate injuries?

Growth plate injuries happen in children and teens when a bone fractures before growth is complete. Growth plates are areas of growing tissue at the end of long bones and are the weakest part of the growing skeleton. When growth is complete, the growth plates close and are replaced by solid bone.

This injury happens twice as often in boys as in girls. They're most common in bones found in the:

• Ankle
• Foot
• Hip
• Leg
• Wrist

Causes of growth plate injuries

Growth plate injuries often occur after a sudden accident, such as a fall or a hard hit to the limb. These are commonly caused by playing competitive sports such as football or engaging in active recreational activities such as skateboarding.

Repeated use or strain on specific body parts may also lead to these injuries. Examples include gymnasts who practice for hours on uneven bars, long-distance runners or baseball pitchers perfecting their curve balls.

Less common sources of injury may include:

• Abuse
• Bone infections
• Inherited disorders
• Injury from frostbite or extreme cold
• Medications, such as steroids
• Metabolic disease, such as kidney failure and hormone disorders
• Neurological conditions
• Radiation

Growth plate injury symptoms

Symptoms of a growth plate injury may be present when a child or teenager:

• Cannot move an arm or leg because of pain
• Experiences changes in the way their arm or leg bends
• Has pain that continues after an overuse injury
• Limits the amount of time playing because of an old injury
• Stops playing because of pain after a sudden injury

Diagnosing growth plate injury

Doctors test for growth plate injuries by asking about the injury, examining the patient and ordering X-rays. Fractures in the growth plate may be hard to see, so a doctor may order other tests to look closely at area of the injury or pain, such as:

• CT scans, which are special X-rays that help to see the growth plate
• MRI, which uses magnetic energy to examine and produce imagery of the body
• Ultrasounds, which use sound waves to look inside the body

Risk factors for growth plate injury

The greatest factor contributing to the risk of growth plate injury is age-related: children and teens, and those who lead an active lifestyle.

Growth plate injury treatment and recovery

Most growth plate injuries get better and don’t cause any lasting problems. The caring team at Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic can help relieve painful symptoms and fix growth pain injury with a variety of treatments. Depending on the type of fracture, your doctor may recommend:

• Using a cast or splint to stop movement of the growth plate
• Setting the bones back in place with manipulation or surgery
• Exercises after the injury heals
• Long-term follow-up, which could include more X-rays

Occasionally, growth plate injury stops a bone from growing and it ends up shorter than the other limb. If only part of the growth plate is injured, the limb can become crooked when only part of the bone keeps growing. Lasting problems are most common with injuries to the knee.