Children are more prone to injury from repetitive compression, tension, torsion or shear stresses on bone, ligaments, tendons or cartilage at junctional areas. Young female gymnasts have a four times higher risk of stress fractures of the pars interarticularis. Types Articular, non-articular or physeal. A localised area of subchondral demarcation with or without involvement of the overlying articular cartilage. Physeal Scheuermann's disease is a cause of juvenile onset thoracic kyphosis.
Aetiology is unknown.
Treatment Dorsal kyphosis of less than 50 o is rarely symptomatic and requires no active treatments. Surgery is seldom required. A small cortical crack starts and propagates by subcortical infarction. The usual site is at the junction of the metaphysis and diaphysis. There may be systemic symptoms of listlessness and even pyrexia.