Introduction to bone disorders

| The musculoskeletal system and bone characteristics in children are different from those in adults.

Bone development begins during the embryonic and fetal period and continues throughout childhood, maturing and ossifying until after puberty. Any infection, trauma or malnutrition can hinder the correct development of the child's skeleton.

That of a child has well differentiated parts and characteristics of childhood:

• Epiphyseal cartilage: it is the growth cartilage. An injury to this structure can cause a serious disorder in bone growth.
• Epiphysis: end of the bone where the ossification center is that determines the shape and size of the joints. It can be in different stages of ossification so it is easy to assess it by radiography. The smaller the child, the more cartilage it will have and the less bone. This determines that children have few joint fractures.
• Process: secondary center of ossification where a tendon is inserted. It can be injured by rough traction.
• Metaphysis: transition zone between cancellous bone and cortical bone.
• Diaphysis: central area of ​​the bone.
• Periosteum: membrane that covers the bone.

As can be seen in the different parts of the bone, children have growing bones, with very vulnerable regions that can affect the development and normal bone growth: the growth plates.

The bone in children has a higher proportion of water than in adults; This gives it a lot of elasticity and flexibility. This fact causes some types of fractures and deformities that are not seen in adults to occur: spiral, bamboo or greenstick fractures.

The functioning of the bone is also different, in the child it has a great capacity for repair and remodeling when it is damaged, so the healing capacity is very high and in less time than in the adult. Complications in fracture healing are minimal.

Children respond well to immobilization during the fracture's healing time and do not develop joint stiffness after some time in the cast.