Fractures and Trauma

Children are active by nature, and injuries are a part of growing up. While fractures are often a normal part of childhood, growing bones require specialized treatment to ensure proper healing and development. That’s where pediatric orthopedic trauma specialists come in.

Pediatric fractures and trauma care is a subspecialty of pediatric orthopedics focused on diagnosing and treating bone injuries in infants, children, and adolescents. Unlike adult bones, children’s bones are still growing. They have open growth plates and softer, more flexible bone structures, which means they break differently—and heal differently. Managing these injuries requires careful attention to growth, alignment, and long-term function.

Our pediatric orthopedic trauma team provides compassionate, family-centered care for children with fractures, dislocations, and musculoskeletal injuries of all kinds. We offer both nonsurgical and surgical treatment options, depending on the injury, using child-specific techniques and tools that protect growing tissues. Whether your child has a simple arm fracture or a complex injury requiring surgery, our goal is to ensure safe healing, restore function, and get them back to being a kid again—running, playing, and growing strong.

What We Do

Pediatric orthopedic trauma care focuses on the evaluation, treatment, and recovery of bone and joint injuries in children. These injuries can result from falls, sports, motor vehicle accidents, or other trauma. Pediatric orthopedic surgeons are specially trained to recognize how growth affects both the injury and the treatment approach.

Our team treats everything from minor fractures to complex multi-bone injuries. Because children’s bones heal more quickly and remodel over time, treatment often involves casting, bracing, or splinting. For more serious injuries, surgical techniques—such as internal fixation, growth plate protection, or guided bone realignment—are used to ensure bones heal properly without interfering with growth.

The goal is to help children heal fully while preserving natural growth and function.

Conditions We Treat

Children who may benefit from pediatric fracture and trauma care include those who have:

• Fractures from sports, playground, or bicycle accidents
• Broken bones in the arm, wrist, hand, leg, ankle, or foot
• Dislocations or growth plate injuries
• Complex or multiple fractures (polytrauma)
• Open fractures (where the bone breaks through the skin)
• Fractures that healed incorrectly (malunion) or failed to heal (nonunion)
• Overuse injuries or stress fractures from athletics
• Pain, swelling, or deformity after a fall or impact injury

Care at Columbia

Our pediatric orthopedic trauma surgeons are fellowship-trained specialists with years of experience treating fractures and musculoskeletal injuries in children. They understand how growth, activity, and age affect recovery—and they know how to help families navigate every stage of healing.

Our practice is equipped with child-friendly imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT) and uses the latest techniques and technologies, including fluoroscopy, minimally invasive fixation, and guided bone realignment systems. We work closely with emergency departments, rehabilitation teams, and pediatricians to provide coordinated, seamless care—from injury through recovery.

Thoughtful, Personalized Care

Whenever possible, we use nonsurgical treatment options, such as casting, splinting, or bracing. If surgery is required, we perform it using the least invasive approach appropriate for your child’s age and injury. Our team prioritizes safety, comfort, and emotional support—because we know that a calm child heals faster.

Every child’s injury is different. Our personalized treatment plans consider your child’s age, activity level, growth potential, and family preferences. We focus not just on fixing the injury, but on helping your child return to the activities they love, with confidence and comfort.