An x-ray of a normal growth plate in a child. (Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia User Gilo1969)
Surgery is often necessary to treat the problem, which can be extremely painful and lead to infection.
But researchers at the Colorado School of Mines, in collaboration with Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, are developing a way to treat growth plate injuries with an injection.
Melissa Krebs is a chemical and biological engineering professor at the School of Mines and the chief researcher on the project. She says the injection calls stem cells to the area, which get into the cartilage.