Greenstick fracture
Also called: incomplete fracture
What it means
A greenstick fracture is a partial break where the bone bends and cracks on one side but doesn't break all the way through, like snapping a young, flexible green twig. It happens almost exclusively in children because their bones are softer and more flexible than adult bones.
Knowing how greenstick fractures work helps you understand why kids' and adults' bones heal and break so differently as bone ages and stiffens.
A greenstick fracture is a type of incomplete fracture. Instead of breaking cleanly into two pieces, the bone bends under stress and cracks on the outer, stretched side while the inner side stays intact and bent. The name comes from how a young, green (fresh) tree branch bends and splinters rather than snapping cleanly, unlike a dry, brittle branch.
This injury is most common in children, especially in the long bones of the arm like the radius or ulna near the wrist, or in the forearm more broadly. Children's bones have more collagen relative to mineral content, making them more flexible and more likely to bend and partially crack rather than break completely the way a stiffer, more mineralized adult bone would.
Greenstick fractures are usually treated with casting or splinting to hold the bone in a stable position while it heals, sometimes after a doctor gently realigns it if needed. Because children's bones are still growing and remodel efficiently, these fractures generally heal well, though any fracture near a growth plate may need closer follow-up. Adults rarely get true greenstick fractures because mature bone is more rigid and tends to break completely rather than bend.
Kids' bones bend and crack rather than fully break because they're softer and more flexible than adult bones.
Where this leads
WordFlexible young bones bend instead of snapping. Curious about the growing cartilage layer that helps kids' bones lengthen and reach full size?
Related words
A stress fracture is a small crack in a bone caused by repeated stress over time, rather than a single hard blow.
A compound (open) fracture is a broken bone that pierces through the skin or is exposed through a wound, unlike a…
A closed fracture (also called a simple fracture) is a broken bone where the skin stays intact. There's no open…
A comminuted fracture is a break where the bone shatters into three or more pieces, usually from a strong impact or…
A growth plate (epiphyseal plate, or physis) is a layer of cartilage near the ends of a child's or teen's long bones…
A cast is a rigid plaster or fiberglass covering used to immobilize a broken bone so it can heal in proper alignment.
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
