Treatment

Depending on the severity of the greenstick fracture, the doctor may need to straighten the bone manually so it will heal properly. Your child will receive pain medication and possibly sedation drugs for this procedure.

Greenstick fractures have a high risk of breaking completely through the bone, so most of these types of fractures are immobilized in a cast during healing.

On occasion, your doctor may decide that a removable splint could work just as well, particularly if the break is mostly healed. The benefit of a splint is that your child might be able to take it off briefly for a bath or shower.

X-rays are required in a few weeks to make sure the fracture is healing properly, to check the alignment of the bone, and to determine when a cast is no longer needed. Most greenstick fractures require four to eight weeks for complete healing, depending on the break and the age of the child.