Whole body

What It Is

Growth plate fractures affect the layer of growing tissue near the ends of a child’s long bones. Growth plates are weak areas of the growing skeleton, and are even weaker than the nearby ligaments and tendons that connect bones to other bones and to muscles (NIAMS, 2023). This means that an injury that would cause a sprain in an adult could cause a growth plate fracture in a child (NIAMS, 2023).

These fractures need prompt treatment because they can affect how the bone grows (AAOS, n.d.a; NIAMS, 2023). If not treated properly, a growth plate fracture could result in a limb that is crooked, or unequal in length when compared with the limb on the other side. Occasionally the injury can even speed up growth, so the injured bone ends up longer rather than shorter (AAOS, n.d.a). Fortunately, serious problems are rare, and with proper treatment most growth plate fractures heal without complications (AAOS, n.d.a).

Growth Plate Fracture Anatomy

Growth plates are areas of developing cartilage tissue near the ends of the long bones (bones that are longer than they are wide, such as the thighbone and the forearm bones). They help to determine the length and shape of the mature bone. Long bones don’t grow from the centre outwards; instead, growth happens at each end of the bone, around the growth plate. When a child has finished growing, the growth plates harden into solid bone (AAOS, n.d.a; AAOS, n.d.b).

Because the growth plates are the last part of the bones to harden, they are more prone to fracture (AAOS, n.d.a; NIAMS, 2023).

Not a diagnosis — for more information, contact me or another trusted healthcare provider.

Treatment

Self-Care & Treatment

How Growth Plate Fractures are Treated

Treatment depends on which bone is injured, the type of fracture, how far out of place the broken ends are, and the child's age and general health (AAOS, n.d.a). Follow the medical team's own instructions about casts, activity and follow-up appointments.

Treatments your child's doctor may use

Cast or splint: many growth plate fractures heal well in a cast when the broken pieces are not badly out of place; how long the cast is worn depends on how severe the fracture is (AAOS, n.d.a).
Surgery: may be needed if the bone fragments are displaced (out of place) and the fracture is unstable; the bones are put back into position and held with screws, wires or plates (AAOS, n.d.a).
Follow-up checks: regular follow-up visits for at least a year after the injury are recommended to make sure the bone is growing properly, and more complicated fractures may need follow-up until the child stops growing (AAOS, n.d.a).

After the bone heals, the doctor may recommend exercises to strengthen the muscles around the injured area and improve the joint's range of movement (AAOS, n.d.a). Once your child's doctor is happy for them to start, I can help with gentle hands-on work and exercises to rebuild strength and movement. See the My Approach tab for how I work.

Tips

Growth plate fractures occur about twice as often in boys as in girls, because girls finish growing earlier than boys (AAOS, n.d.a).
A growth plate fracture can be caused by a blow to the limb or a fall (NIAMS, 2023).
Many growth plate fractures happen during competitive sports such as football, basketball and gymnastics, or recreational activities such as biking, sledding, skiing and skateboarding (AAOS, n.d.a; NIAMS, 2023). Take care to prevent injury.
Overuse can occasionally cause a growth plate injury, for example in young gymnasts, long-distance runners and baseball pitchers who train for long hours (NIAMS, 2023).
Car accidents have been known to cause growth plate fractures (AAOS, n.d.a).
Growth plate fractures are most common in adolescence (AAOS, n.d.a).

Treatment

My Approach

Your child's medical team decides how long the cast stays on, what your child can do and when the bone has healed. I work inside those limits and need the team's okay before hands-on treatment if the fracture needed surgery or stops your child's normal daily activities.

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.

In the Cast or Splint

Gentle work for areas working overtime, such as the shoulders if your child is on crutches
Light lymphatic drainage above the cast, and keeping the limb raised at home

After the Cast

Gentle massage for stiff muscles, and scar work once healed if your child had surgery
Pain-free movement, then strengthening and range exercises, with stretching or joint mobilisation near the fracture only once the doctor confirms it has healed
Play-based exercises I'll show you how to help with at home

I can also help parents with neck, shoulder or back strain from carrying a child in a cast. Parents are welcome to sit in, with your child's agreement.

Increasing pain, swelling, numbness, pale or cold fingers or toes, or a cast that feels too tight need urgent attention: call 911 or go to the emergency room. Tell the team about any limp or change in the limb's shape or length.

What to Expect

Typical Course

Typical course: Visits are usually once or twice a week while the cast is on and just after, then weekly, then spaced out. The timeline follows your child's medical team: most children are back to their usual activities within a few weeks to a couple of months of the cast coming off, and the team keeps checking growth for at least a year.

What I Focus On

Working Within the Team's Limits

Compensation Relief

Swelling Control

Post-Cast Mobility

Gentle Strength

Please read

When to See a Doctor First

When to get urgent help

A growth plate fracture usually causes persistent pain, and there may be swelling, warmth and tenderness near the end of the bone, a crooked appearance, a limp, or an inability to move or put weight on the limb (AAOS, n.d.a). Because children’s bones heal quickly, a possible growth plate injury should be examined by a doctor as quickly as possible (AAOS, n.d.a). If the limb looks crooked or deformed, or the bone has broken through the skin, call 911 or go to the emergency room at your nearest hospital (AAOS, n.d.a; AAOS, n.d.b).

Sources

References

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.a) Growth plate fractures. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/growth-plate-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.b) Forearm fractures in children. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/forearm-fractures-in-children/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (2023) Growth plate injuries. Available at: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/growth-plate-injuries (Accessed: 7 October 2026).

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooGrowth Plate Fractures

What It Is

Growth Plate Fracture Anatomy

Self-Care & Treatment

How Growth Plate Fractures are Treated

Treatments your child's doctor may use

Tips

My Approach

In the Cast or Splint

After the Cast

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to get urgent help

References

Related Conditions

Book a session

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooGrowth Plate Fractures

What It Is

Growth Plate Fracture Anatomy

Self-Care & Treatment

How Growth Plate Fractures are Treated

Treatments your child's doctor may use

Tips

My Approach

In the Cast or Splint

After the Cast

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to get urgent help

References

Related Conditions

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Anterior Wedge Fracture to the Vertebra

Bone Tumor

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Book a session