As the skeleton develops, there are stages of intense growth typically around the ages of 7 to 10 years and later in puberty. These growth spurts are associated with increased cellular activity around the growth plate between the head and shaft of a bone. This increase in activity renders the growth plates more vulnerable to injuries, which may occur from dislocation across a growth plate or fracture through a growth plate. Occasionally an injury may result in growth plate compression, destroying that region of the growth plate, which may result in asymmetrical growth across that joint region. All fractures across the growth plate must be treated with care and expediency, requiring fracture reduction.