How to Diagnose Growth Plate Injuries

Growth plates, or the growing areas at either end of a child's bone, are prone to injury when joints are placed under stress. Causes may be sudden falls or long-term sports practice. Growth plates close during adolescence, when bones mature, so growth plate injuries usually occur in children 16 and under. Find out how to diagnose whether the pain in your child's joints is a growth plate fracture.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Diagnose Injury Following a Trauma

1. Distinguish between a head and body injury. If it is a body injury, encourage your child to move and test for pain.
2. Assess your child's symptoms. Ask whether it is too painful to move the injured area. Note if the child doesn't walk or move.
3. Consider an injury caused by an activity. Ask whether your child fell while running or from a height, such as from playground equipment.
4. Consider external causes. Find out whether your child was hit by a baseball bat or another solid object.
5. Assume that a painful bone or joint trauma suffered under such circumstances is a growth plate fracture and get medical help.

Diagnose a Long-Term Problem

6. Cancel out other possible causes, such as rheumatoid arthritis or bone infection. Explore your child's medical history with a doctor to determine whether either of these conditions could be causing joint pain.
7. Acknowledge your child's symptoms. Growth plate injuries brought on by repetitive sports activity, such as baseball or gymnastics, will become painful over time. Notice when your child complains repeatedly about joint soreness, especially near the wrist.
8. Take action when your child repeatedly has to curtail activities due to pain, especially if he is highly active or plays a contact sport. Take your concerns about growth plate injury to a doctor and get X-rays.

Tips & Warnings

• Over half of all growth plate injuries occur in the wrist and forearm area. If this is the location of a blow or impact, a painful injury is probably a fracture.
• While they may look like wrist or ankle sprains, growth plate injuries are more serious, due to the nature of growing bone tissue. You'll need to treat immediately them to prevent future health consequences.
• If your child loses consciousness or has blurred vision following a trauma, she may have a head injury. Do not move her. Seek immediate medical care.
• After an accident, if your child can't or won't put weight on the injured area, go to an emergency room. If the fracture is severe, a doctor may have to relocate the bone.

Who Can Help: