What Are Researchers Trying To Learn About Growth Plate Injuries?
Researchers continue to develop methods to optimize the diagnosis and
treatment of growth plate injuries and to improve patient outcomes. Examples of
such work include:
Removal of a growth-blocking "bridge" or bar of bone that can form across a
growth plate following a fracture. After the bridge is removed, fat, cartilage,
or other materials are inserted in its place to prevent the bridge from forming
again.
The investigation of drugs that protect the growth plate during radiation
treatment.
Development of methods to regenerate musculoskeletal tissue by using
principles of tissue engineering.
To improve the early diagnosis of growth plate
injuries, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculosketetal and Skin
Diseases (NIAMS) is supporting a study to evaluate the use of MRI to visualize
young bones and enable prompt, appropriate treatment. In May 1997, the NIAMS,
together with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the
Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, supported a conference on
skeletal growth and development. The resulting publication, Skeletal Growth and
Development: Clinical Issues and Basic Science Advances, can be obtained from
the AAOS at the address listed near the end of this booklet. In March 2000, the NIAMS supported the First International Conference on Growth Plate.
The NIAMS is working with the NICHD, the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases to support a research initiative in the area of skeletal growth
and development. The purpose of the initiative is to:
Stimulate research to identify and understand the action of the genes that
regulate skeletal development
Evaluate factors that affect growth plate function
Develop animal models to study disturbances in skeletal growth and development
Find new ways to correct musculoskeletal deformities.
Fractures occur when bone cannot withstand the outside forces applied to the bone. Fractures can be open or closed. Types of fractures include: greenstick, spiral, comminuted, transverse, compound, or vertebral compression. Common fractures include: stress fracture, compression fracture, rib fracture, and skull fracture. Treatment depends upon the type of fracture.
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone. Potential causes include injections around the bone, fractures that puncture the skin, recent surgeries, and bacterial infections that travel from other areas of the body, spreading through the blood to the bone. Symptoms include pain, fever, chills, stiffness, and nausea. Treatment involves antibiotics and pain medications. Surgery is sometimes necessary.
An injury to a ligament is called a sprain, and an injury to muscle or tendon is called a strain. Sprains and strains may be caused by repetitive movements or a single stressful incident. Symptoms include pain and swelling. Though treatment depends upon the extent and location of the injury, rest, ice, compression, and elevation are key elements of treatment.
Child abuse falls into four categories: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. There are certain risk factors that predispose a child to being abused and an adult to abusing a child. Risk factors for children are age, children with learning disabilities, adopted and foster children, children with congenital abnormalities, and a past history of abuse. Parental risk factors include young or single parents, those who suffered abuse themselves, adults with substance-abuse problems or psychiatric disease, and those who didn't graduate from high school.
Juvenile arthritis (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or JRA) annually affects one child in every thousand. There are three types of JRA: pauciarticular (less than four joints affected), polyarticular (more than four joints affected), and systemic-onset (inflamed joints with high fevers and rash). Treatment of juvenile arthritis depends upon the type the child has and should focus on treating the symptoms that manifest.
There are two categories to cold weather-related injuries. 1) no freezing of body tissue (trench foot and chilblains), and 2) freezing of body tissues (frostbite). Chilblains in general, will not need medical attention (unless there is infection). Trench foot and frostbite, however, require medical attention. Symptoms of frostbite include pain, burning, numbness, and eventually a complete loss of sensation in the affected body part. The young, elderly, and patients with certain medical conditions (diabetes, hypothyroidism, circulatory problems, and psychiatric illnesses), are more susceptible to cold weather-related injuries. People who abuse alcohol and illicit drug user are also at risk for cold weather-related injuries.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
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