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What is a greenstick?

Updated: 11/14/2022
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6y ago

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A greenstick fracture is afracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and partially breaks. The bones become harder(calcified) and more brittle with age, it occurs almost exclusively during infancy and childhood when their bones are soft. The name is by analogy with green wood which similarly breaks on the outside when bent. There are three basic forms of greenstick fracture. In the first a transverse fracture occurs in the cortex, extends into the midportion of the bone and becomes oriented along the longitudinal axis of the bone without disrupting the opposite cortex. The second form is a torus or buckling fracture, caused by impaction. The third is a bow fracture in which the bone becomes curved along its longitudinal axis. A greenstick fracture is afracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and partially breaks. The bones become harder(calcified) and more brittle with age, it occurs almost exclusively during infancy and childhood when their bones are soft. The name is by analogy with green wood which similarly breaks on the outside when bent. There are three basic forms of greenstick fracture. In the first a transverse fracture occurs in the cortex, extends into the midportion of the bone and becomes oriented along the longitudinal axis of the bone without disrupting the opposite cortex. The second form is a torus or buckling fracture, caused by impaction. The third is a bow fracture in which the bone becomes curved along its longitudinal axis.

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Laverna Senger

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2y ago
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Q: What is a greenstick?
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