They are commonly mid-diaphyseal, affecting the forearm and lower leg. Greenstick fractures in young kids can heal as quickly as 3 weeks.

They are distinct from torus fractures. In the mid-arm, the median nerve is protected from the bone by muscular layers, but the ulnar nerve, because of its closeness to the bone, may be damaged. The bone is softer and more pliable than in adults. While the initial post-reduction radiographs showed near anatomic alignment with a well molded cast, radiographs 1 week later show 22 degrees of apex volar angulation and dorsal re-displacement.

A greenstick fracture is a fracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and breaks. The name is by analogy with green (i.e., fresh) wood which similarly breaks on the outside when bent. There have been reported cases of complete but temporary paralysis of the flexor pol. Both greenstick and torus injuries are buckle fractures - most commonly affecting the radius of the forearm.


Many authors consider buckle fractures to be stable (Farbman et al. In childhood, the periosteal sleeve is thick and protects the cortex. This accounts for the range of different fracture types that is uniquely seen in childhood. In contrast, a greenstick fracture the opposite cortex is not intact. Removable splints results in better outcomes to casting in …

(OBQ12.134) An 11-year old boy presents to fracture clinic 1 week after sustaining a displaced metaphyseal distal radius fracture that was managed with closed reduction and cast application. Buckle fractures (also called torus) are defined as a compression of the bony cortex on one side with the opposite cortex remains intact.

Greenstick fracture healing time. Greenstick fractures occur most often during infancy and childhood when bones are soft.

Greenstick fracture is one form of pediatric fractures. Greenstick fractures commonly affect the forearm region. This accounts for the range of different fracture types that is uniquely seen in childhood: the buckle (torus), the classical greenstick fracture, the complete fractures (adult type), and the fractures involving the growth plate. It is also referred to as Buckle fracture or Torus fracture. Forearm fractures (torus and greenstick fractures combined) are very common in children and happen in about 1 in 100 children.

Buckle vs Greenstick fracture. The fracture extends through a section of the bone and causes it to bend on the other side. Greenstick fracture healing time. Torus fractures, also known as buckle fractures, are incomplete fractures of the shaft of a long bone that is characterized by bulging of the cortex. Complete fracture involves the bone structure breaking completely, but with incomplete fracture, only part of the bone breaks and another remains unbroken.
There is a difference between buckle fracture and greenstick fractures.

The bone is softer and more pliable than in adults. The management of minimally angulated greenstick and torus fractures of the distal radius in children varies between different centres [].The diagnosis is established mainly by the clinical findings and confirmed by plain X-rays [].The treatment most commonly offered includes immobilization for a short period of time in plaster-of-Paris, either a backslab or a full cast [3, 7]. Greenstick Fracture Vs Buckle Fracture : Differences Based On Symptoms The presenting symptoms of a Greenstick and a Buckle fracture are quite similar with the child experiencing pain at the injured site along with swelling of the area; however, in Buckle Fracture the swelling can be intense to such an extent that a visible deformity can be observed at the injury site. Introduction. With both torus and greenstick fractures it is rare to have any vascular or permanent neurological damage. Fractures of the distal radius are the most common fractures in childhood (Landin et al). A greenstick fracture is a fracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and breaks.

The name is by analogy with green wood which similarly breaks on the outside when bent. Greenstick fractures should not be confused with buckle fractures (or torus fractures) which are an impaction type of fracture identified by a focal widening (or outward buckling) of the cortex.

Buckle fractures (also called torus) are defined as a compression of the bony cortex on one side with the opposite cortex remains intact.