Do all your growth plates close at the same time?

Predicting growth can be a little tricky. While it is true that once a growth plate has fused there will be no lengthening of that bone, not all the growth plates in the body fuse at the same time. The growth plates in the knees generally close at about the same time as the ones in the wrist.

How long does it take for all growth plates to close?

Their growth plates usually fuse, or close around ages 13 to 15, while boys’ epiphyseal plates close later, at around ages 15 to 17. The reason for this difference is that a girl’s puberty typically starts about 2 years earlier than a boy’s.

Is it possible to close growth plates?

Growth plates are one way bones grow. There are usually two growth plates in each long bone. A growth plate that has completely hardened into solid bone is a closed growth plate. After a growth plate closes, the bones are no longer growing.

What are the signs of growth plates to close?

Symptoms

• Pain and tenderness, particularly in response to pressure on the growth plate.
• Inability to move the affected area or to put weight or pressure on the limb.
• Warmth and swelling at the end of a bone, near a joint.

Are my growth plates open?

At that point, growth plates are considered closed. Typically, girls’ growth plates close when they’re about 14-15 years old on average. Boys’ growth plates close by around the time they turn 16-17 on average. This occurs earlier in some individuals and later in others.

When do your growth plates close?

A good rule of thumb is that once a child has reached the end stages of puberty, the growth plates are essentially closed.

What does a closed growth plate look like on an xray?

On an x-ray, growth plates look like dark lines at the ends of the bones. At the end of growth, when the cartilage completely hardens into bone, the dark line will no longer be visible on an x-ray. At that point growth plates are considered closed.

How many growth plates does a long bone have?

Each long bone has two growth plates one at each end. The growth plate determines how the length and shape of the bone will be once the child attains puberty. As during the growing age of a child, these growth plates are extremely soft and tender and hence are vulnerable for various sorts of injury or trauma.

What are growth plates and how do they work?

What are Growth Plates? Growth plates are zones of cartilage at each end of our long bones (femur, tibia, etc.), explains David E. Attarian, MD, a joint replacement orthopaedic surgeon at Duke. These bones grow by the contribution of new bone from the growth plate.