Greenstick fracture
A fracture in which one side of a bone is broken while the other is bent (like a green stick). A fracture is a break in the bone or cartilage. It usually is a result of trauma but can be due to an acquired disease of bone such as osteoporosis or abnormal formation of bone in a congenital disease of bone such as osteogenesis imperfecta ("brittle bone disease"). Fractures are classified by their character and location. Examples of classification include "greenstick fracture of the radius," "spiral fracture of the femur," "impacted fracture of the humerus," "linear fracture of the ulna," "oblique fracture of the metatarsal," "compression fracture of the vertebrae," and "depressed fracture of the skull." A "comminuted
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green·stick fracture 'grēn-.stik- n a bone fracture in a young individual in which the bone is partly broken and partly bent
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an incomplete break in a bone in which part of the outer shell (
cortex) remains intact. It occurs in children, who have more flexible bones.
See also fracture.
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fracture in which one side of a bone is broken, the other being bent (see Plate 16); an infraction; called also hickory-stick or willow f.
Medical dictionary.
2011.