Your Healthcare Connection – Is My Child’s Arm Broken?

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Dr. Hamblin, a member of Olympia Orthopaedics Associates Sports Medicine team, states that if they see a child within one week of a break they can usually heal the bone with great success.
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By Kate Scriven

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Dr. Hamblin, a member of Olympia Orthopaedics Associates Sports Medicine team, states that if they see a child within one week of a break they can usually heal the bone with great success.

School is back in full swing and so are recess, soccer, football, gymnastics, and more. If you are a busy Thurston County parent, you probably felt the change in pace just as I did these last weeks. And with a return to recess comes a return to the inevitable falls, twists, and spills of childhood along with the question, “Is that really broken or is it going to be ok?”

Last year, I had my first experience assessing a hurt wrist from a playground fall. My daughter’s school dutifully called when the accident occurred and I, as many of you have, said thanks for the call and an ice pack would do just fine for the afternoon. The evening progressed and my daughter pitifully ate dinner and finished her homework, all the while avoiding using her hand and arm, complaining of pain.

I thought I did all the right things – assess mobility, apply ice, wrap it in an old ace bandage dug up from the back of a closet. Yet, the next day she was still complaining of pain. With no bruising or swelling, I sent her off to school with instructions to be careful and “buck up.”

Well, fast forward a few days and we are in the doctor’s office getting an x-ray served with a side of horrible mom-guilt (dished out by me, not the doc). Turns out it was a bad sprain (whew!) and not broken, but did need a substantial wrist brace and plenty of rest.

Sound familiar? We were lucky and didn’t end up in the casting room (although my daughter was longing for a Seahawk’s cast), but many parents find themselves getting that cast on day three or four after a child’s initial injury. Don’t despair. You aren’t a horrible parent. You are just like the rest of us, and in most cases, doing the right thing according to Olympia Orthopaedic Associates Sports Medicine Dr. Tracy Hamblin.

“It’s very common for parents to not bring in children right away,” she explains. “We often can’t get a lot of diagnostic information from kids, either, as they don’t have the experience to verbalize their injury or symptoms. We rely heavily on x-rays in these cases.”

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Dr. Hamblin embodies a “Life in Motion” with her love of the outdoors, biking and living a healthy lifestyle.

But, what about those painful (for you and your child) three days at home before you realize this is more serious than you thought? “Typically, if we see a child with a fracture within the first week after an injury we can work to heal it with great success,” explains Hamblin. Emphasizing how quickly children’s growing bones heal and repair, Hamblin reassures parents that small, hard to detect fractures are common and easy to treat.

In addition, swelling at the injury site, and unwillingness to move the injured area, make it difficult for even physicians to make a diagnosis in the first 24 hours. X-rays help, but waiting a day or two isn’t a bad idea.

Forward falls, like my daughter’s spectacular dismount from the monkey bars, are the most common cause of childhood breaks and sprains, says Hamblin. “Falling on an outstretched hand is the most common mechanism for injuries to the arm, wrist, hand, and elbow,” she explains. And while these do often result in breaks, they also cause sprains, ligament pulls, and deep bruising – all of which can mimic fracture symptoms initially.

Dr. Hamblin shares a few tips to keep your child comfortable in those first few hours and days after an injury.

  • Apply ice as soon after the injury as possible to reduce swelling and pain.
  • Wrap the injured area. Compression also reduces swelling and aids blood flow and healing.
  • Elevate the injured area above the heart (this often looks a lot like laying on the couch watching TV for kids…they won’t complain).
  • Give Tylenol or Motrin as needed for pain.

And, if that mom or dad “radar” goes off and tells you something is not right, seek the help of a medical professional. A visit to your primary care doctor may be a good place to start, but families can also call the Olympia Orthopaedic Associates Sports Medicine Clinic directly. In most cases, you can come in directly. If in doubt, give Oly Ortho a call and they can help you secure a quick phone referral or schedule an appointment.

Wondering if an arm is broken?  Stop into Oly Ortho's clinic and get an x-ray.
Wondering if an arm is broken? Stop into Oly Ortho’s clinic and get an x-ray.

The benefits of initial injury visits at Oly Ortho are many – on-site x-ray and MRI, casting rooms and trained technicians, a variety of splints and braces in stock for patients, and, if needed, quick access to an orthopaedic surgeon should the injury prove more serious than you thought.

Can we keep our kids from falling or getting injured? No. It’s part of life and part of being a kid. But when injuries do happen, it’s good to know a bit more information to help answer that question, “Is it broken or not?” And, where to go if you simply can’t answer it yourself.

Olympia Orthopaedic Associates

3901 Capital Mall Dr. SW, Olympia

360-709-6230

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