What Happens When Your Child Breaks Their Arm?
Kids are going to play — and play hard — which means they will fall even harder. Broken bones are very common in childhood and often happen when they are are playing sports or just roughhousing with friends and siblings. But just because they fall doesn’t mean a bone is broken. Below are a few guidelines to follow before calling your child’s doctor to determine if your child may have a broken bone:
- Is it painful to move, touch or press?
- Is there swelling, bruising or tenderness around the injured area?
- Is there any kind of bump or change in the shape of the bone?
- Did you or your child hear a snap or grinding noise when the injury occurred?
For less serious injuries, apply a cold compress or ice pack wrapped in a cloth, but for no more than 15 minutes at a time. Place it against something firm and tape it up to make a quick homemade splint. Most importantly, keep the arm elevated.
If you think your child did break their arm, seek medical care immediately. Schedule an appointment with us so we can take x-rays and one of our pediatric orthopedics will examine the fracture. If there is a broken bone coming through the skin, or if they’ve also injured their head, neck or back, head to your nearest emergency room right away.
After doctors take an x-ray, they’ll be able to see where the fracture is and the type of fracture. They may decide your child needs a splint in order to keep the bone from moving during the healing process. For a more serious fracture, the doctor may decide that a cast, as well as a sling to support it, is needed. This will immobilize the arm and will be removed once the bone has healed – typically within three to 10 weeks.
The process of getting a cast on can be scary, so ask your doctor to explain the procedure to both you and your child. This will help alleviate their anxiety – and yours!
Feeling pain for several days after breaking the arm is normal and expected, but it shouldn’t be extreme. Pay attention to the following while your child wears their cast:
- Are your child’s fingers pale, white, purple, blue or swollen?
- Is the skin around the cast’s edges raw or red?
- Has your child picked or removed the padding?
- Is the cast wet or has it gotten wet?
If any of these issues arise, call your child’s doctor right away.
Whether your child has broken their arm or whether they’ve broken their arm recently but are still experiencing pain, schedule a check-up with us so we can make sure the bones are properly healing.