X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

The Toddler's Fracture: a Common Fracture of the Tibia

4 min read
The Toddler's Fracture: a Common Fracture of the Tibia

Here's what you need to know about the Toddler's Fracture if your child has it.

Given the amount of running, jumping, and falling kids do, it’s no surprise that fractures are one of the most common injuries in children. Of course, as parents we do whatever it takes to make sure our child never has to go through a toddlers fracture, but we cannot always be in control.

The good news is that we can identify the signs and get our child treated as soon as possible. 

What is Toddler’s Fracture?

A Toddler’s Fracture or Childhood Accidental Spiral Tibial (CAST) fracture is a spiral break in the tibia (the shin bone in your leg), which occurs after a child twists their leg during a fall.  

It’s a very low energy break. Usually it’s a hairline crack without significant damage to the bone or surrounding tissue. This fracture occurs most commonly in infants from nine months to three years of age.

How to tell if your child has Toddler’s Fracture

If your child had a minor fall or accident, and is limping or unable to put any weight on their leg, he or she could have a Toddler’s Fracture.

The injured leg is rarely significantly swollen but its classically tender and especially sensitive to any rotation. You can test this by asking your child to turn their foot outward. This recreates the same rotational force that caused the initial crack. 

You will need to send your child to the hospital to get it checked by a doctor.

What doctors will do

Doctors that are suspicious of this injury will order x-rays of the leg. X-rays will diagnose the injury, and a hairline crack can likely be seen in the tibia.  

X-rays are also useful to measure the bone alignment and to make sure the break didn’t cause the bone to shorten more than 1 cm, or bend more than 10 degrees.

But remember that in the vast majority of cases, the crack is very small and the bone remains perfectly aligned.

toddlers fracture

An X-ray that confirms a Toddlers Fracture. | Source: Wikimedia

In fact, sometimes the x-rays won’t show any crack. But doctors with a high suspicion of this injury will still treat it as a break once they rule out other causes of a limp.

In such cases without an obvious crack on x-ray, follow up x-rays will show signs of bone healing. This indicates that there was a true break, just too small to be seen on x-ray.

Treatment and care

These injuries almost always heal very well after being casted to protect the bone while it heals.

Doctors will put on a cast from the toes, past the knee, all the way to the mid-thigh.

They often also bend the knee slightly so that kids can’t walk excessively on the injured leg while its in a cast. Although recent studies have shown no increased risk of bone displacement or delayed healing when kids are allowed walk on their broken leg within the cast.

toddlers fracture

The cast can be removed after 4-6 weeks once the tibia is no longer tender. | Source: Pixabay

X-rays are repeated 2 weeks after the injury to ensure there are signs of healing.

The cast can be removed around 4-6 weeks, as long as the tibia bone is no longer tender. It typically takes 10 weeks for the bone to heal completely

Kids can begin walking again once there is no pain over the break, and x-rays show signs of healing. They also have to rule out low risk of re-injury or displacement at the fracture site before allowing them to walk as usual.

toddlers fracture

A Toddler’s Fracture is not serious and will heal quickly. | Source: Pixabay

Toddler’s Fracture is a very common injury and it heals quickly. If it happens to your child, try not to give in to the guilt. It’s impossible to be everywhere at once (though that won’t stop you from trying), and most broken bones in children aren’t serious.

Partner Stories
Parenting Lesson from a New Mum - Don’t Try to Do it All on Your Own!
Parenting Lesson from a New Mum - Don’t Try to Do it All on Your Own!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
How To Baby Proof Your House in 4 Easy Steps
How To Baby Proof Your House in 4 Easy Steps
Is Your Baby Wash Safe for Your Precious Little One? Is Bath Time Too Stressful? Here Are Some Handy Tips!
Is Your Baby Wash Safe for Your Precious Little One? Is Bath Time Too Stressful? Here Are Some Handy Tips!

Source: Wikipedia

Read also: Basic first aid tips all parents should know

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

evaloy

  • Home
  • /
  • Parent's Guide
  • /
  • The Toddler's Fracture: a Common Fracture of the Tibia
Share:
  • Baby suffers fracture after being thrown off the bed by his mother's boyfriend

    Baby suffers fracture after being thrown off the bed by his mother's boyfriend

  • 3-month-old suffers broken thigh bone while under babysitter's care

    3-month-old suffers broken thigh bone while under babysitter's care

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Baby suffers fracture after being thrown off the bed by his mother's boyfriend

    Baby suffers fracture after being thrown off the bed by his mother's boyfriend

  • 3-month-old suffers broken thigh bone while under babysitter's care

    3-month-old suffers broken thigh bone while under babysitter's care

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.