One of the most amazing things about children is how fast their bones heal. Children’s bones still go through the same process of bone healing as adults but get there faster.
Process of bone healing
Typically, the process of bone healing is divided into 3phases which are ;
- The inflammatory phase
- The reparative phase
- The remodeling phase.
The general idea is that when a bone is broken, immediately some reaction is triggered in the body and the process of bone healing is immediately recruited.
The blood at the fracture site is rich in bone-forming chemicals and these are what push the process forward.
The initial model of bone formed is soft and gelatinous. It’s this initial model that is infiltrated by other cells that lay down bone.
In the start, the laid bone looks disorganized so the final step is remodeling where cells called the osteoclasts come through and chip away at what looks like excess bone while reshaping the bone into a normal-looking bone.
What makes kid’s bones special?
The biology of the bones in children puts them at an advantage.
- Children have a thick periosteum. The periosteum is the lining around the bone, and it has bone-forming cells that take part in bone healing when a child breaks their bones. The periosteum in adults is much thinner.
Therefore, when a child fractures their bones, the periosteum is a source of bone-forming cells that will immediately start to lay down bone.
- Children with open growth plates or physes still have the potential to remodel better than their counterparts with closed growth plates. Because there is still growth happening at the growth plate, these children can correct out any remnant of deformity in the bone as they grow taller.
Healing potential in children
Children have far better healing potential than adults and the older children get, their healing potential also reduces.
The typical subclassification is to have children as
-under 9years old; have unquestionable healing potential
-over 9years old; the healing potential starts to slow down in comparison.
In conclusion, children have far better healing potential in bone healing because of their thick periosteum and their ability to remodel as they grow.
