What is a growth-plate fracture?

The long bones in our body, the femur, or thigh bone, for example, have a growth plate on each end, where the bone growth actually occurs. When a child stops growing, the growth plate hardens and becomes solid.

This part of the bone is also the weakest part of the bone and can be broken when children fall or sustain some sort of trauma. Although most of these fractures heal well, if a growth plate fracture does not heal well, it can affect the child’s growth.