Why Do Bones Break In Children?

Kids who have more than one broken bone during childhood should be checked to find out why – especially if the trauma leading to the break was minor. We used to think that these were just very active kids, but recent evidence has turned up another more ominous culprit. Although we often think of osteoporosis as a disease of older adults, osteoporosis has become common in children, according to a disturbing presentation at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The study followed 447 children aged 6 to 13 years who had broken bones following a minor injury. Those who had more than one break underwent a bone density scan – and a shocking 67 percent of these young children had osteoporosis!

Childhood is a time for building strong bones to last for a lifetime, but today most children in the U.S. do not get either enough calcium or enough weight bearing exercise to build the quality of bones they need.