A buckle fracture is the most common wrist fracture in young children.
The bone squashes and bulges slightly on one side instead of breaking through, a bit like a drinking straw pushed end to end.
It’s a STABLE fracture that heals well in about three to four weeks. Many are now treated with a removable splint rather than a full cast, and studies have found even a simple soft bandage can work as well for pain and function.
Most children don’t need a follow-up X-ray, and are back to normal play by around four to six weeks.
How it happens
- A fall onto an outstretched hand: playground, trampoline, scooter, bike or just running
- Children’s bones are softer and more flexible than adults’, so they compress and buckle instead of snapping
- Common between about five and ten years old, just above the growth plate at the lower end of the radius
A buckle fracture is the kind of broken wrist you’d choose, if you had to choose one.
What it looks and feels like
- Pain and tenderness just above the wrist
- Mild swelling, usually without an obvious bend
- A child who protects the arm and doesn’t want to lean on it
- Some children keep playing and only complain later, which can make it look like a sprain
How it’s different from other children’s fractures
- Buckle fracture: one side squashed, the bone not broken through. Stable
- Greenstick fracture: the bone bends and cracks on one side, like a young branch. Often needs a cast, sometimes straightening
- Complete fracture: broken through, may be displaced. Cast and sometimes a procedure to realign
- Growth plate fracture: involves the growing part of the bone. Needs specific follow-up. See growth plate fractures
The X-ray decides which it is, so a child with a painful wrist after a fall should be checked.
Treatment and recovery
- Days 0 to 3: removable wrist splint or soft cast. Pain relief and elevation
- Weeks 1 to 3: splint on for comfort and protection, off for washing if your clinician allows. Most pain settles in the first week or two
- Weeks 3 to 4: splint stopped. Stiffness settles quickly with normal play
- Weeks 4 to 6: back to all play. Trampolines, climbing frames and contact sport from around four to six weeks, as advised
Children rarely need formal exercises after a buckle fracture. Play is their therapy.
Tips for the splint
- Keep the fingers moving
- Check the skin under the edges each day for rubbing
- Stop the child from pushing pencils or toys inside it
- Put it back on for rough play in the first few weeks
Get it rechecked if
- Pain gets worse instead of better after the first few days
- The wrist starts to look bent
- Fingers are numb, pale or cold
- Your child still won’t use the wrist at three to four weeks
- There’s another fall onto the same wrist
For adult wrist fractures, see wrist fracture recovery.
For wrist pain from gymnastics and weight-bearing sports, see gymnast’s wrist.
Splint for comfort, three to four weeks of healing, and play is the rehab.
Every article on this site is written using the Closing Window Method: name the window your condition runs on, find where you are in it, and act while it’s still open.