From the Research
No, a 26-year-old male cannot have a Salter-Harris type 3 fracture. Salter-Harris fractures only occur in children and adolescents who still have open growth plates (physes) [ 1 ]. By age 26, all growth plates in the human body have closed and converted to solid bone, which typically occurs by the late teens or early twenties. Once the growth plates close, the classification system no longer applies. In adults, similar fractures involving joint surfaces would be classified using different systems such as AO/OTA classification. Salter-Harris fractures specifically describe injuries that cross through the growth plate and are categorized into five types based on the fracture pattern. Type 3 specifically involves a fracture through the epiphysis (end of the bone) that extends into the growth plate. These fractures are significant in children because they can potentially disrupt normal bone growth, but this concern is irrelevant in adults whose skeletal maturity is complete.
The most recent and highest quality study [ 2 ] discusses a rare case of a Salter-Harris type III fracture in a child, but does not provide any evidence that such fractures can occur in adults. Other studies [ 3, 4, 5 ] also only discuss Salter-Harris fractures in the context of pediatric patients, further supporting the conclusion that these fractures do not occur in adults.
Key points to consider:
- Salter-Harris fractures are unique to childhood and adolescence
- Growth plates typically close by the late teens or early twenties
- Adults with similar fractures would be classified using a different system, such as AO/OTA
- Salter-Harris type 3 fractures involve a fracture through the epiphysis and growth plate, which is not possible in adults with closed growth plates.