OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to compare the injury patterns in skeletally mature patients versus skeletally immature patients to better understand the factors that cause the specific injury appearance. The physis as the essential factor in the injury manifestation will be examined. CONCLUSION. The physis and immature chondroosseous junctions operate as the weak links in the immature skeleton and are the deciding factors in the pattern of injury, even though the injury mechanisms are identical to those in adults.