Broken bones may seem like a normal part of an active childhood. About 1 in 3 otherwise-healthy children suffers a bone fracture. Breakage of the bone running from the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist (distal forearm fracture) is the most common. It occurs most often during the growth spurt that children typically undergo in early adolescence.

But a recent study at Mayo Clinic, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, indicates that certain types of fractures may have implications for a child's long-term bone health. The study found evidence that children and adolescents whose forearm fractures occurred due to mild trauma had lower bone strength compared with other children. Lower bone strength may predispose children to fractures resulting from weakened bone (osteoporotic fracture) later in life. In this video, Joshua N. Farr, Ph.D., one of the authors of the study, discusses the research.