138) Six-year-old Matthew broke his femur and one of his epiphyseal plates was damaged. Explain the role of the epiphyseal plate in longitudinal growth and predict the effects of a damaged epiphyseal plate on his future longitudinal growth.

The function of the physis or growth plate is to allow the growth in length of the bones (both long as short) through the endochondral ossification process.

Explanation:

The epiphyseal plates are areas of active growth of new bone at the ends of the bones, made up of cartilage that hardens once the child is fully developed. Epiphyseal plates help determine the length and shape of the adult bone eventually. It is the last part of the bones to harden, and therefore they are vulnerable to fractures. The complication of the involvement of the growth plate is the deformity or lack of growth of the bone, leaving the limb twisted or shorter than the contralateral one.Growth disturbances are more frequent when the affected area is very large or when it involves the area of the knee joint. In cases of shoulder or wrist involvement, deformities rarely occur. The alterations are more common when the lesions occur in younger children, because they have a longer growth period.

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