Fractures are common in childhood, with up to 50 percent of children experiencing a broken bone.
Shriners Hospitals for Children are leaders in pediatric orthopaedics and provide care to children with fractures and sports injuries as well.
We talked with Dawn Wright, Director of Marketing and Communications, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Salt Lake City, who says falls, recreational activity and sports are common culprits of fractures.
Wright says every six minutes a young child in the U.S. is treated in the emergency room for a stair-related injury. The number of young children who were injured while being carried on the stairs accounts for about a quarter of injuries among children under age 1. These children are also more than three times more likely to be hospitalized as a result of their injuries (Web MD).
She experienced it herself, when she fell while carrying her toddler son down some stairs while the family was on vacation. She had to take her son to a hospital ER that didn't specialize in children. But once they got to Shriners Hospitals for Children, they helped and her little boy was even able to walk on his cast right away.
There are many things you can do to help prevent common fractures: warming up and cooling down before playing sports; only allowing one child to jump at a time on a trampoline; being mindful of ability level when skiing, and not carrying children down stairs if they can walk on their own.
The experienced team at Shriners Hospitals for Children will triage over the phone and book a same day appointment if needed. Services include: x-rays, examinations, splinting, casting, surgery, post-fracture follow-up, and rehabilitation.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is recognized by the U.S. News & World Report as one of the best children's orthopaedics hospitals in the country.
All insurance plans and Medicaid are accepted and all care - from the simple to the complex - is provided regardless of families' ability to pay.
To make an appointment call or text the Fracture Care Hotline weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 801-888-4068.
For more information please visit ShrinersSLC.org.
