When do knee growth plates close?

Growth plates usually close near the end of puberty. For girls, this usually is when they’re 13–15; for boys, it’s when they’re 15–17.

Do all growth plates close at the same time?

Predicting growth can be a little tricky. While it is true that once a growth plate has fused there will be no lengthening of that bone, not all the growth plates in the body fuse at the same time. The growth plates in the knees generally close at about the same time as the ones in the wrist.

What does a closed growth plate look like on an xray?

On an x-ray, growth plates look like dark lines at the ends of the bones. At the end of growth, when the cartilage completely hardens into bone, the dark line will no longer be visible on an x-ray. At that point growth plates are considered closed.

How can you tell if your growth plates are open or closed?

They do this by taking an x-ray of the left hand and wrist to see which growth plates are still open. The bone age may be different from the child’s actual age. Keeping this in consideration, how can you tell if your growth plates have closed? On an x-ray, growth plates look like dark lines at the ends of the bones.

What does it mean if my son’s wrist Xray shows knee growth?

That said, hand and wrist x-rays are a standard use as a predictor of skeletal maturity in children, so it may be that your son has finished growing. The growth plates in the knees generally close at about the same time as the ones in the wrist.

Can you check your growth plates without being X-rayed?

NO you cannot check your growth plates without them being x-rayed. A doctor will not do it just because of your curiosity, only if there is a legit reason. You can figure out, at least to a point, how far you are in your puberty cycle by your age, when your puberty started and the height of your parents.