Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooGreenstick Fracture of Distal Radius

Greenstick Fracture of Distal Radius Anatomy

Looking After Your Child at Home

• Encourage your child to keep their fingers, thumb, elbow and shoulder moving to prevent stiffness (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, 2025).
• Swelling and pain in the wrist and hand are common for a few weeks and are often worse at the end of the day; raising (elevating) the wrist helps (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, 2025).
• If the cast feels too tight, make sure the arm is raised enough, and check that your child can wriggle their fingers and that the fingers are a good colour. Contact the fracture clinic if you are worried (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, 2025).
• Your child should avoid sport and high-impact activities, such as trampolines, scooters and football, for 4 to 6 weeks. Non-contact sports such as swimming can usually be started as soon as your child is comfortable (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, 2025).
• When the cast comes off, the wrist may be stiff for 2 to 3 weeks, and the bone is weaker for a short time; avoid climbing frames such as monkey bars for 3 to 4 weeks afterwards (AAOS, n.d.).
• If your child still has significant pain or swelling after 6 weeks, contact the fracture clinic (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, 2025).

How a Greenstick Fracture of Distal Radius is Treated

Treatment is decided by the hospital or fracture clinic and depends on how the bone has broken. Follow their own instructions about the splint or cast, including when and how it should come off. Once the fracture clinic is happy, I can help with the stiffness and weakness that often follow when the splint or cast comes off. See the My Approach tab for how I work.

Treatments your child's doctor may use

Tips

• Most of the time, the fracture is the direct result of falling onto an outstretched arm (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, n.d.).
• If your child falls onto their arm and it stays painful, swollen or tender, have it checked by a doctor, as mild greenstick fractures can be missed.

A greenstick fracture usually heals well in a splint or soft cast, and the hospital or fracture clinic decides how it's treated and when the splint or cast comes off. I work within their plan. If your child needed surgery, or the injury is stopping their normal daily activities, I need the fracture clinic's okay before any hands-on treatment.

Please bring any X-ray or scan reports and notes from your medical team to your first visit. They're an important part of planning safe treatment for you.

As the parent or caregiver, you approve your child's treatment and are welcome to sit in, with your child's agreement. I'll show you how to help your child at home.

While the Splint or Cast Is On

• Gentle work for the shoulder, neck and upper back, which can tighten while the arm is held still
• Light drainage above the cast to ease swelling, and keeping the arm raised
• Showing you how to keep your child's fingers, thumb, elbow and shoulder moving

After It Comes Off

1. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.) Forearm fractures in children. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/forearm-fractures-in-children/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (n.d.) Paediatric distal radius fracture. Available at: https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/paediatric-distal-radius-fracture/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
3. University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (2025) Greenstick fracture in the distal radius or ulna (bones in the wrist). Available at: https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2673-Greenstick-fracture-in-the-distal-radius-or-ulna-bones-in-the-wrist-2025.pdf (Accessed: 7 October 2026).