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Greenstick Fracture, Sports Medicine

Greg Canty, MD Reviewed 04/2019
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

Greenstick fractures are incomplete fractures that occur when a bone is exposed to angulation and rotational bending forces. The bending forces are strong enough that the bone begins...

DIAGNOSIS

Prehospital: 
  • Suspect with any forearm injury having a mild angular deformity, swelling, and pain.

HISTORY

  • Establish mechanism of injury, which is often a fall on outstretched hand with some ro...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Prehospital:

    • Ice to affected region for pain control and swelling

    • Splint in comfortable position using:

      • Air splint or board.

      • Tape.

      • Rolled towels.

  • Emergency department (ED) treatmen...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

  • With greenstick fractures of the forearm, clinical follow-up and radiographs obtained at 2 to 6 wk postinjury reduce overall care costs and radi...

REFERENCES

1
Cheng JC, Shen WY. Limb fracture pattern in different pediatric age groups: a study of 3,350 children. J Orthop Trauma.  1993;7(1):15–22.
2
Casey PJ, Moed BR. Greenstick fractures of th...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Flynn JM, Skaggs DL, Waters PM, eds. Rockwood and Wilkins’ Fractures in Children. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015.

  • Mencio GA, Swiontkowski MF, eds...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Examine surrounding bones/joints closely for accompanying injuries such as a both-bone forearm fracture or a Monteggia-variant fracture/dislocation.

  • Incomplete fractures, like the green...

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