Conditions & Treatments
- A to Z Guide

Fractures

Disease Information

Overview

We're one of the largest groups of dedicated pediatric orthopedists in the country. This gives each of us the ability to 'super-specialize'--for example, as a pediatric specialist in upper-extremities, hips or spines. This allows us to dedicate more time to refining our skills.

--Travis Matheney, MD, MLA, Orthopedic Center, Children's Hospital Boston

If your baby, child or teen has broken an arm, leg, hip or other bone, it causes disruption and stress—for your child and the whole family. You’ll have concerns and questions about your child’s pain, treatment, length of recovery, growth plates and many other issues. It may comfort you to know that at Children’s Hospital Boston, we’ll approach your child’s treatment with answers, as well as great sensitivity and support.

A complete fracture is a fracture involving the entire cross section of the bone.
In a closed fracture, the bone is broken but the skin is still intact.
In an open (compound) fracture, the bone exits and is visible through the skin; or a deep wound exposes the bone through the skin, increasing the risk of infection.
An open fracture is an emergency. Seek immediate medical attention for this type of fracture by calling 911.
Children’s bones heal more quickly than those of adults, and mal-union (mal-alignment) is uncommon.
Kids’ bones are softer than adults’, so they often bend or partially break.
The main issue with children’s fractures is injury to the growth plates.
Doctors must account for growth plates in diagnosis and treatment.

The Children’s Hospital Boston approach

Whether your child’s fracture is complex or routine—whether his break needs surgery, a splint, brace, cast or just observation—you can have peace of mind knowing that the experts in Children’s General Orthopedic Program and Orthopedic Center have treated a large volume of conditions that few pediatric hospitals have seen—and can provide expert diagnosis, treatment and care for every type and severity of fracture.

Our department is known for clinical innovation, research and leadership. We offer the most advanced diagnostics and treatments—several of which were pioneered and developed by our own researchers and clinicians.

One of the first comprehensive programs, our Department of Orthopedic Surgery is the largest pediatric orthopedic surgery center in the United States, performing more than 6,000 surgical procedures each year. Our program, ranked #1 in the country by U.S. News & World Report, is the nation’s preeminent care center for children and young adults with post-traumatic, developmental, congenital and neuromuscular problems of the musculoskeletal system.

Fractures that we commonly treat in infants, children and teens include:

At Children’s, we have several orthopedic clinical care areas that treat fractures. These include our:

Fractures: Reviewed by Travis Matheney, MD
© Children’s Hospital Boston, posted 2010

Orthopedic care in lots of places
Children's provides orthopedic care—for fractures and other bone problems—at Children's satellite locations in Lexington, Peabody, Weymouth and Waltham, as well as at our main campus in Boston.

If you come from far away, we can help
As an international pediatric orthopedics center, we care for young patients from all over the world. Our International Center assists families residing outside the United States: We facilitate the medical review of patient records; coordinate appointment scheduling; and help families with customs and immigration, transportation, hotel and housing accommodations.