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REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Orthopedics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1468926
This article is part of the Research TopicBiomechanics regulators of musculoskeletal growthView all articles
Skeletal growth and development dictate the biomechanical processes of vertebral fracture in the pediatric spine; a review emphasizing fracture biomechanics of the vertebral body during the period of skeletal immaturity
Provisionally accepted- Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada
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Infancy, childhood, and adolescence involve changing body proportions, muscular strength, and the complex processes of skeletal growth, contributing to a unique subset of biomechanical considerations when vertebral fractures result from falls from height, motor vehicle accidents, nonaccidental injuries, and sport and manual labour. In this review, the biomechanics of compression fractures, burst fractures, seatbelt syndrome, nonaccidental trauma, defects of the vertebral endplate, and ring apophysis fractures are all detailed regarding their manifestation in the pediatric spine. Interactions between pediatric diseases, the intervertebral disc, and the spine's facet joints are also briefly discussed, lending additional context toward the unique etiologies of pediatric vertebral fracture. The present narrative review seeks to provide a detailed overview of the key relationships responsible for the unique biomechanical considerations governing vertebral and endplate fracture, in the pediatric population.
Keywords: Vertebral fracture1, endplate fracture2, ring apophysis fracture3, pediatric spine fracture4, pediatric spine biomechanics5
Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 McMorran and Gregory. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Diane E. Gregory, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada
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