ODD SOCKS study

Broken ankles in children often involve the area from which the bone grows – the growth plate. Following growth plate injuries, the growth of the main shin bone in the lower leg (the tibia) can be altered permanently, which can cause the bone to not grow at all, or to grow wonky. The younger the child at the time of injury (i.e. the more they have to grow) the worse the problem may get  once the child has fully grown. These growth plate injuries can cause differences in the length of the legs or can make the affected leg grow crooked. The altered growth may affect function and may risk problems in the future. Later on after injury operations may be needed to improve the appearance of the leg and ensure that it functions normally.

Some surgeons believe that these injuries should have surgery early on to ensure the growth plate is perfectly realigned. They believe that this will reduce the chance of abnormal growth. Other surgeons believe that this surgery is not necessary, and that surgery may increase the risk of abnormal growth as the growth plate may be ‘scraped’ and damaged by the procedure. We do not know which treatment offers the best outcome due to the lack of high-quality scientific evidence.

This study will compare surgery to perfectly realign the fracture, to treating the bone in a cast without correcting the fracture position. The important finding will be how well the children and young people can function (i.e. walk/run/play/participate in sport) two years after the condition was first identified, along with the length and appearance of the leg.