An X-ray reveals a break in the cortex of one side of the ulna shaft without a break of the opposite cortex. This describes which type of fracture?

• A. Greenstick
• B. Transverse
• C. Torus (buckle)
• D. Epiphyseal

Answer: (A)

This is a greenstick fracture. In children, bones are more pliable, so a bending force can crack the cortex on the tension side while the opposite cortex remains intact or only buckles. The X-ray pattern shows a fracture line on one side of the cortex with the other side preserved, which is characteristic of an incomplete, greenstick break.

Transverse fractures involve a clean break across the bone through both cortices. Torus (buckle) fractures result from compression and show a buckled or indented cortex without a full cortical break. Epiphyseal fractures involve the growth plate at the end of the bone, not the shaft cortex.