What is a finger fracture?
A fracture is a crack or break in a bone. The break may be small or large, may be straight or crooked, and may go into the joint (the place where 2 finger bones meet). A child’s bones are different than adults in some important ways. First, the bones of a child are more flexible. Sometimes the bones crack like green branches from a live tree instead of snapping like a dry stick. Other times the bones just buckle slightly. When this happens, the bone is broken but there isn’t a clear fracture line just a slightly raised area on the outside of the bone. The second major difference is that a child’s bones are still growing. Bones grow from an area near their ends called the growth plate. Sometimes fractures occur within the growth plate and can be difficult to see on an X-ray. Fractures in this area can affect the growth of the bone and may require special X-rays or other tests.
