What is a buckle fracture?
What is a buckle fracture?
Buckle fractures are a type of broken bone that almost always affects kids. They’re an incomplete fracture, which means the break doesn’t go all the way through the bone. You might see buckle fractures referred to as impacted fractures or torus fractures.
Buckle fractures get their name from how they happen. They’re a compression fracture, which means the break is caused by sudden pressure on a bone. This pressure — usually caused by a fall — pushes on your child’s bone hard enough to bulge it out of place. The pressure “buckles” the bone without snapping it. Picture crushing an aluminum soda can. Pressure forces the can to bulge and collapse in on itself, but it’s still in one piece.
Buckle fractures commonly affect the radius and ulna (the bones that connect your forearm to your wrist), but they can happen to any long bone. Other bones susceptible to buckle fractures include:
- Femur (thigh).
- Tibia (shin).
- Fibula (calf).
- Humerus (upper arm).
Buckle fractures are usually caused by kids falling onto their outstretched arms. They’re very common in children under 12, and can almost always be treated with a splint or cast. Your child will not need surgery, but they will need some form of protection while the bone heals.
Buckle fractures vs. greenstick fractures
Buckle fractures (also known as impacted fractures) and greenstick fractures are different types of incomplete bone fractures. They are different terms that tell your healthcare provider specific details about how your child’s bones are broken, where they broke and what they look like inside their body right now.
Buckle fractures happen when a bone is pressed to the point of bulging out of place. The fracture looks like a bump on a bone.
Greenstick fractures happen when a child’s bone is bent to the point that it cracks but doesn’t break all the way through. If you’ve ever tried to break a green or young stick with your hands, it cracks but doesn’t break cleanly like a dry twig would. That cracking without snapping completely is the difference between greenstick fractures and complete fractures.
Both buckle and greenstick fractures are much more common in children because kids’ bones are softer and more flexible than adults, more like plastic instead of glass or ceramic. That’s why they tend to bend and buckle rather than break.
No matter which names and terms end up applied to your child’s fracture, the most important first step is getting their injury examined by a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Buckle fractures in hands, fingers and thumbs
Buckle fractures (impacted fractures) almost always affect longer bones in kids’ bodies. They don’t usually affect the small bones in the hands, fingers or thumbs. If your child experiences pain or other symptoms in their hands they might have a sprained or broken finger. Talk to your healthcare provider about any new symptoms.