A Salter–Harris fracture is a fracture that involves the epiphyseal plate or growth plate of a bone. It is a common injury found in children, occurring in 15% of childhood long bone fractures.

Triplane fracture is a fracture at the epiphyseal plate of the tibia in early adolescence with involvement of the epiphysis and metaphysis of the tibia. The link presents two types of imaging. The first four images (figures 1-4) are radiographic images while the last 3 are CT scans of the left distal tibia and fibula. The first radiographic image is an anterior-posterior view of the distal third of the left tibia and fibula. The image presents a fracture of the distal epiphyseal plate of the tibia and fibula. The primary imaging (radiograph) identifies the abnormality in the anatomy of subject’s left distal tibia and fibula. However, it is difficult to view the extent of the fracture and classify the fracture based on radiographic image. Figure four is a CT scan of the posterior aspect of the left distal tibia and fibula. Note that in this image the extent of the fracture is more visible extending to the epiphysis and metaphysis. The type of fracture is a Salter-Harris type IV. The CT scan was an appropriate choice of advance imaging which helps clinicians determine the extent of the fracture and enable us to address the problem appropriately.

Pediatric fractures can be classified as complete and incomplete:

- Incomplete: there are three basic forms of incomplete fractures:

- The first is the greenstick fracture, a transverse fracture of the cortex which 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. They are usually the result of a force acting on the longitudinal axis of the bone: they are typically a consequence of a fall on an outstretched arm, so they mainly involve the distal radial metaphysis. The word torus is derived from the Latin word 'torus,' meaning swelling or protuberance.

- The third is a bow fracture in which the bone becomes curved along its longitudinal axis.

- Complete fractures

There are also physeal fractures (fractures involving the physis, the growth plate, which is not present in adults). The Salter-Harris classification is the most used to describe these fractures.

A greenstick fracture is a fracture in a young, soft bone in which the bone bends and breaks. Greenstick fractures usually occur most often during infancy and childhood when bones are soft. The name is by analogy with green (i.e., fresh) wood which similarly breaks on the outside when bent. It was discovered by British-American orthopedist, John Insall, and Polish-American orthopedist, Michael Slupecki.

There are nine types of Salter–Harris fractures; types I to V as described by Robert B Salter and W Robert Harris in 1963, and the rarer types VI to IX which have been added subsequently:

- Type I – transverse fracture through the growth plate (also referred to as the "physis"): 6% incidence

- Type II – A fracture through the growth plate and the metaphysis, sparing the epiphysis: 75% incidence, takes approximately 2–3 weeks or more in the spine to heal.

- Type III – A fracture through growth plate and epiphysis, sparing the metaphysis: 8% incidence

- Type IV – A fracture through all three elements of the bone, the growth plate, metaphysis, and epiphysis: 10% incidence

- Type V – A compression fracture of the growth plate (resulting in a decrease in the perceived space between the epiphysis and metaphysis on x-ray): 1% incidence

- Type VI – Injury to the peripheral portion of the physis and a resultant bony bridge formation which may produce an angular deformity (added in 1969 by Mercer Rang)

- Type VII – Isolated injury of the epiphyseal plate (VII–IX added in 1982 by JA Ogden)

- Type VIII – Isolated injury of the metaphysis with possible impairment of endochondral ossification

- Type IX – Injury of the periosteum which may impair intramembranous ossification

After a humerus fracture, pain is immediate, enduring, and exacerbated with the slightest movements. The affected region swells, with bruising appearing a day or two after the fracture. The fracture is typically accompanied by a discoloration of the skin at the site of the fracture. A crackling or rattling sound may also be present, caused by the fractured humerus pressing against itself. In cases in which the nerves are affected, then there will be a loss of control or sensation in the arm below the fracture. If the fracture affects the blood supply, then the patient will have a diminished pulse at the wrist. Displaced fractures of the humerus shaft will often cause deformity and a shortening of the length of the upper arm. Distal fractures may also cause deformity, and they typically limit the ability to flex the elbow.

In orthopedic medicine, fractures are classified in various ways. Historically they are named after the physician who first described the fracture conditions, however, there are more systematic classifications in place currently.

People usually present with a history of an injury and localized pain. There is often a deformity in the wrist with associated swelling. Numbness of the hand can occur because of compression on the median nerve across the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). The wrist deformity often limits motion of the fingers.

Even though symptoms vary widely after experiencing a bone fracture, the most common fracture symptoms include:

- pain in the fractured area

- swelling in the fractured area

- obvious deformity in the fractured area

- not being able to use or move the fractured area in a normal manner

- bruising, warmth, or redness in the fractured area

The classic clinical presentation of a hip fracture is an elderly patient who sustained a low-energy fall and now has groin pain and is unable to bear weight. Pain may be referred to the supracondylar knee. On examination, the affected extremity is often shortened and unnaturally, externally rotated compared to the unaffected leg.

The zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture, also known as a quadripod fracture, quadramalar fracture, and formerly referred to as a tripod fracture or trimalar fracture, has four components: the lateral orbital wall (at either the zygomaticofrontal suture superiorly along the wall or zygomaticosphenoid suture inferiorly), separation of the maxilla and zygoma along the anterior maxilla (near the zygomaticomaxillary suture), the zygomatic arch, and the orbital floor near the infraorbital canal.

Swelling, deformity, tenderness and loss of wrist motion are normal features on examination of a person with a distal radius fracture. Examination should rule out a skin wound which might suggest an open fracture. It is imperative to check for loss of sensation, loss of circulation to the hand, and more proximal injuries to the forearm, elbow and shoulder. The most common associated neurological finding is decreased sensation over the thenar eminence due to associated median nerve injury.

A classic "dinner fork" deformity may be seen in dorsally angulated fractures due to dorsal displacement of the carpus. The reverse deformity may be seen in volarly angulated fractures.

The term "Colles fracture" is classically used to describe a fracture at the distal end of the radius, at its cortico-cancellous junction. However, now the term tends to be used loosely to describe any fracture of the distal radius, with or without involvement of the ulna, that has dorsal displacement of the fracture fragments. Colles himself described it as a fracture that “takes place at about an inch and a half (38mm) above the carpal extremity of the radius” and “the carpus and the base of metacarpus appears to be thrown backward”. The fracture is sometimes referred to as a "dinner fork" or "bayonet" deformity due to the shape of the resultant forearm.

Colles' fractures can be categorized according to several systems including Frykman, Gartland & Werley, Lidström, Nissen-Lie and the Older's classifications.

The most common symptom is pain over the heel area, especially when the heel is palpated or squeezed. Patients usually have a history of recent trauma to the area or fall from a height. Other symptoms include: inability to bear weight over the involved foot, limited mobility of the foot, and limping. Upon inspection, the examiner may notice swelling, redness, and hematomas. A hematoma extending to the sole of the foot is called "Mondor Sign", and is pathognomonic for calcaneal fracture. The heel may also become widened with associated edema due to displacement of lateral calcaneal border. Involvement of soft tissue (tendons, skin, etc.,) should be evaluated because soft tissue injury has been associated to serious complications (see below).

Diastatic fractures occur when the fracture line transverses

one or more sutures of the skull causing a widening of the suture. While this type of fracture is usually seen in infants and young children as the sutures are not yet fused it can also occur in adults. When a diastatic fracture occurs in adults it usually affects the lambdoidal suture as this suture does not fully fuse in adults until about the age of 60.

Diastatic fractures can occur with different types of fractures and it is also possible for diastasis of the cranial sutures to occur without a concomitant fracture. Sutural diastasis may also occur in various congenital disorders such as cleidocranial dysplasia and osteogenesis imperfecta.

A bone fracture (sometimes abbreviated FRX or Fx, F, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a damage in the continuity of the bone. A bone fracture may be the result of high force impact or stress, or a minimal trauma injury as a result of certain medical conditions that weaken the bones, such as osteoporosis, bone cancer, or osteogenesis imperfecta, where the fracture is then properly termed a pathologic fracture.

A child bone fracture is a medical condition in which a bone of a child (a person younger than the age of 18) is cracked or broken. About 15% of all injuries in children are fracture injuries. Bone fractures in children are different from adult bone fractures because a child’s bones are still growing. Also, more consideration needs to be taken when a child fractures a bone since it will affect the child in his or her growth.

A humerus fracture is a break of the humerus bone in the upper arm. Fractures of the humerus may be classified by the location into proximal region, which is near the shoulder, the middle region or shaft, and the distal region, which is near the elbow. These locations can further be divided based on the extent of the fracture and the specific areas of each of the three regions affected. Humerus fractures usually occur after physical trauma, falls, excess physical stress, or pathological conditions such as tumors. Falls are the most common cause of proximal and shaft fractures, and those who experience a fracture from a fall usually have an underlying risk factor for bone fracture. Distal fractures occur most frequently in children who attempt to break a fall with an outstretched hand.

Symptoms of fracture are pain, swelling, and discoloration of the skin at the site of the fracture. Bruising appears a few days after the fracture. The neurovascular bundle of the arm may be affected in severe cases, which will cause loss of nerve function and diminished blood supply beneath the fracture. Proximal and distal fractures will often cause a loss of shoulder or elbow function. Displaced shaft and distal fractures may cause deformity, and such shaft fractures will often shorten the length of the upper arm. Most humerus fractures are nondisplaced and will heal within a few weeks if the arm is immobilized. Severe displaced humerus fractures and complications often require surgical intervention. In most cases, normal function to the arm returns after the fracture is healed. In severe cases, however, function of the arm may be diminished after recovery.

A calcaneal fracture is a break of the calcaneus (heel bone). Symptoms may include pain, bruising, trouble walking, and deformity of the heel. It may be associated with breaks of the hip or back.

It usually occurs when a person lands on their feet following a fall from a height or during a motor vehicle collision. Diagnosis is suspected based on symptoms and confirmed by X-rays or CT scaning.

If the bones remain normally aligned treatment may be by casting without weight bearing for around eights weeks. If the bones are not properly aligned surgery is generally required. Returning the bones to their normal position results in better outcomes. Surgery may be delayed a few days as long as the skin remained intact.

About 2% of all fractures are calcaneal fractures, however, they make up 60% of fractures of the mid foot bones. Undisplaced fractures may heal in around three months while more significant fractures can take two years. Difficulties such as arthritis and decreased range of motion of the foot may remain.

The following risk factors have been identified for coccyx fracture:

- Lack of/reduced muscle mass

- Advanced age

- Osteoporosis

- Being of the female sex (due to the wider pelvis typically found in females)

- Violence

Symptoms of coccyx fracture include:

- Pain that increases in when sitting or getting up from a chair, or when experiencing bowel movement

- Provoked pain over the tailbone

- Nausea

- Bruising or swelling in the tailbone area

Basilar skull fractures are linear fractures that occur in the floor of the cranial vault (skull base), which require more force to cause than other areas of the neurocranium. Thus they are rare, occurring as the only fracture in only 4% of severe head injury patients.

Basilar fractures have characteristic signs: blood in the sinuses; a clear fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaking from the nose (rhinorrhea) or ears (otorrhea); periorbital ecchymosis often called 'raccoon eyes' (bruising of the orbits of the eyes that result from blood collecting there as it leaks from the fracture site); and retroauricular ecchymosis known as "Battle's sign" (bruising over the mastoid process).

Individuals with Jefferson fractures usually experience pain in the upper neck but no neurological signs. The fracture may also cause damage to the arteries in the neck, resulting in lateral medullary syndrome, Horner's syndrome, ataxia, and the inability to sense pain or temperature.

In rare cases, congenital abnormality may cause the same symptoms as a Jefferson fracture.

The fracture is most commonly caused by people falling onto a hard surface and breaking their fall with outstretched hand (FOOSH)–falling with wrists flexed would lead to a Smith's fracture. Originally it was described in elderly and/or post-menopausal women. It usually occurs about three to five centimetres proximal to the radio-carpal joint with posterior and lateral displacement of the distal fragment resulting in the characteristic "dinner fork" or "bayonet" like deformity. Colles fracture is a common fracture in people with osteoporosis, second only to vertebral fractures.

A Smith's fracture, also sometimes known as a reverse Colles' fracture or Goyrand-Smith's, is a fracture of the distal radius. It is caused by a direct blow to the dorsal forearm or falling onto flexed wrists, as opposed to a Colles' fracture which occurs as a result of falling onto wrists in extension. Smith's fractures are less common than Colles' fractures.

The distal fracture fragment is displaced volarly (ventrally), as opposed to a Colles' fracture which the fragment is displaced dorsally. Depending on the severity of the impact, there may be one or many fragments and it may or may not involve the articular surface of the wrist joint.

A Smith Fracture is a named vertebral fracture occurring most commonly in the lumbar spine. It is similar to that of a Chance fracture and is associated with seat belt injuries. This fracture represents a fracture through the posterior elements including the superior articular processes but not the spinous process, as well as an avulsion fracture of the vertebral body. This fracture is not to be confused with the more commonly referred to Smith's fracture of the wrist.