18 Month Old and Fracture?

I would take him in...my 4yo daughter fell off the swing 2 weeks ago, her arm did not swell up (just barely) and just a tiny bruise but it was sore and she was gentle with it but she did things with it..anyway took her in the next morning and she broke two bones in her arm...she is now in a cast for 6 weeks. Just to be on the safe side I would go in

My son suffered the same type of injury at 18 months. He was playing with a push toy and fell in an awkward way and immediately started crying/screaming. He wouldn't move it and winced when we tried to touch it. We erred on the side of taking him to ER b/c he is so rambunctious, I feared him re-injuring what might have been minor and exacerbating it. They took X-rays and eventually put him in a soft cast just to immobilize his arm (10 days I think). But the doc explained that kids at this age still have mostly cartilage so it's hard to see a clear tear, break or sprain b/c their bones are still developing. It can't hurt to get him in to the doc for an x-ray just to be certain.
God bless.

I used to Nanny for a girl and when she was one, she fell off a kitchen chair (not on my watch!). I returned to work on Monday, and noticed the same "sympotms" you have described. Sure enough, when I took her to the DR-her arm was broken-just above her wrist. She did not swell or bruise, and was able to play-I was noticing her holding it on and off, and when I applied pressure, she winced. Good luck!

My 3 year old fell out of bed and also did not have any swelling or bruising. I took her to the doctor after a day or so when she wouldn't put pressure on it or use it. They did an x-ray and it was a small buckle fracture in her wrist. She had a cast for 4 weeks and now is doing great. So it may be worth getting checked out just in case!

I'd tend to this quickly so it doesn't look like you neglected it. I totally understand how confusing these things can be and how easily kids can scale that cribside. You might want to just put down the side at this point and tell the doctor you've done that. Some kids just won't stay in a crib once they know how to escape! He's probably very smart!

Hey there,
I would take him to the Doc for xrays. Twice in her 11 year old life my daughter has had a buckle fracture in both arms. The first time she ran around for 10 days before I realized she was still favoring it. I felt just awful!!!! She has an unusual tolerance for pain. The second time at the roller rink, when she fell and said it was hurting a bit, I took her immediately to the doc and sure enough, another break. But no swelling or busing either time. Just to be on the safe side, I'd take him. Good Luck!

Hi L. it's probably too late for my responce but baby's are born with more bones then adults they fuse together as they grow so i hope you have already taken him in to have him checked out i'm R. and a mom and have knowledge good luck

Depending on the severity, sprains can actually be worse than broken bones. Being so young, he will heal quickly so matter what the injury, but you are smart to talk to your doctor. They may want to take a look or do an x-ray just in case - you certainly don't want something hidden that could cause discomfort or weakness down the road. Good luck!! (hopefully it's nothing more than a "bump")

As a child I fractured my wrist a couple times and there was never any visible swelling or bruising. It could be just a sprain or strain, but I would still get it checked out.

I know I am not much for the ER; and hopefully this finds you going to the doctors. He could have the tiniest fracture in his wrist, or one of the small bones of the hand just slightly dislocated enough to not cause any swelling.

When little ones take the tumble, it's best to not wait and see depending on what happens unless you know what you are doing and what you are looking for. Best to be safe!

Good luck~ hope he's okay!

My 11 year old nephew went to Florida over spring break(early April) and was riding on a razor scooter and fell when he hit a crack in the sidewalk. That was on Tuesday night or Wednesday AM. It seemed fine to his mom, maybe a slight sprang. She put an Ace bandage on it and left it. He said it hurt a little but didn't really react to it much. On Saturday it swelled really bad. They took him to the Dr. and it was broken. It's now June and he still is in a cast! He really never complained about it according to his mom. The doctor said the damage was worse because they waited so long to have him seen. You should definately see the Dr either in the office or have him send you for X-rays if there is not a machine in the office. Good luck!

Unfortunately when my 4 yr old daughter was just 18 months old she got a broken bone. She had been playing and bouncing on our bed with her father, bounced up and came down on her arm. She didn't cry alot either, nor did it swell or bruise. I screwed up and thought it was o.k. Two days later, when she was still not putting too much weight on it, I went to see pediatrician. They took x-rays and determined she had a pressure fracture. She was in a cast for 8 weeks and has recovered beautifully. Good luck and I suggest getting it x-rayed too.

That's the same way my daughter reacted. She was 20 months. No swelling or bruising either. Even the pediatrician thought it was just sore but sent us for an xray just in case. Turned out to be fracture and she had to wear a cast. You just never know.

I would definitely take him in and get it xrayed. He could have a 'greenstick' fracture or he could have dislodged the growth plate. Dislodging the growth plate could be serious if it is not treated. Better safe than sorry.
Barb

I was 18 months old when I fell, but I was still a child and my arm never bruised or swelled up really bad. It was a little swollen but nothing bad. I could still use it but I couldn't pick anything heavy up or push off of it. My mom thought it was just sprain, but I told her it was broken. She didn't listen to me and I ended up falling again on that same arm and it ended up fracturing. You could tell this time that it was broken. I would take him in! It might just be a sprain, but then again it could be broken. It doesn't hurt to take him in. That way you can know exactly what is wrong with his arm. I hope your little one gets better soon! Take care!

I've never experienced toddler fractures either - I agree knock on wood. However, my younger brother broke his ankle when he was just learning how to walk. The doctor told my mom that they really don't do anything with children that young - they won't use it if it hurts and she'll know it's better when he starts walking again. There were X-Rays done of course, and they could tell that it didn't need to be set or anything. Sure enough, my mom said that 6 - 8 weeks later he started crawling and slowly started walking again. He did learn that he could scoot on his butt without to much pain - otherwise my parents carried him around. I would say that if your doctor isn't to concerned with it to trust your son's instincts. If it hurts he just won't use it. Maybe give him something to help with the pain but beyond that - he'll know when it's better.

I'm not an expert with injuries myself but when I was young...probably about 10 or 11, I fractured my collar bone. My mom didn't take me to the er until 4 days later because nobody thought it was broke. It was not swollen and I could raise my arm (although it hurt). I even went swimming, but had to be a little careful. Point is...it was broke/fractured. Just wait for the dr to call and see what he/she has to say. Hopefully it's nothing too serious and it sounds like your son is a strong boy. It's not like it's a head injury or anything so no need to panic. Everything will be fine whether it is broke or not. Good luck!!!

Dear L.,

There are so many bones in the hands/wrist, it is impossible to tell if there is a fracture without x-ray vision! All fractures don't look the same, so I think it would warrant a visit to the ER or an urgent care center to rule one out. Like you said, you don't want to overlook anything, and hopefully it is just sprained. But if it's not, it needs to be set so it can heal properly and not affect him later on. It is good that you are taking care of this now, unstead of putting it off. Good luck.

Hi there!

I fell in fourth grade and hurt my wrist. I remember not being able to carry my bookbag home from school in that hand that day. My mom was convinced that it was not broken becuase it didn't swell and I could move it. Long story short, a trip to urgent care AFTER I played softball that evening (ouch!) told us that the whole "if you can move it, it's not broken" thing is not true! I would try urgent care. I know that with me it was not obvious because they said that children have natural "cracks" in their bones from growing, and all I ever needed was a splint. I would recommend taking him in though.

Hope it is not broken!!!!

Last year my older boy (12 then) banged his toe and it looked awful, we had it xrayed and it wasn't broken, 2 months later he was playing 4 square and his hand hit another boys hand, he said it didn't hurt and didn't tell the school, but it was badly bruised, no pain, it was broken in 3 places.

If have any questions about it, you should take him in.. my regular doctor had an xray machine and I didn't even know it, call your reg doc and maybe you can avoid a visit to the er, and just go to your general doc. Hope it isn't broken, prayers to you.

L. ~
You're in the medical field.....why would you wait? I say take him either into the pediatrician's office or to urgent care. There's no way to know without an xray. It could just be strained tendons or ligaments, a sprain or a break. Broken bones don't always swell, and you can often still use the hand (or walk on a foot if it's the ankle). It's always better to make sure he's OK than to just ignore it.
Sorry for using my "mom" voice!
D.

It could be a buckle fracture, a compression fracture, a green stick fracture, a dislocation, strain or sprain. It is a good idea to take him to the doctor, who can tell you more.

With bones this young, it is hard to see on an x-ray even when the bone is quite damaged, so it is important to return to the doctor if it doesn't get better in a reasonable amount of time.

If your son fell out holding the rail, it is quite likely he's dislocated his wrist, or possibly even his elbow, both of which cause pain and difficulty moving the hand. Fixing a dislocation is simple and relatively painless, but must be done fairly quickly.

Definitely, you should take him to his doctor or an urgent-care clinic visit.

Hello, my daughter is 2 and all she did was fall off the bed just right on her shoulder and fractured her collar bone. It doesnt take much. She didnt swell at all, she barely bruised she just had a small bumb on her shoulder. I knew to take her to the ER because of the way she was crying and she would say ouch when we picked her up under her arms. Good Luck

My son broke his wrist 1 1/2 years ago at 6 years old playing the launching game (thrown up in the area by an older kid, landed wrong), it did not swell, he could put no weight on it or use it and if you were to touch that area it hurt him. I would certainly have it looked at.

My daughter was 18 months old and accidently walked off the side of two stairs instead of using the stairs.
We took her to the doctor, but x-rays showed no break. A week later, she was still limping.
Took her to a specialist who took more x-rays, but showed nothing. He decided to cast her foot and shin for 5 weeks.
After which he said he would be able to tell, and sure enough, there was a fracture in the tibia just above the ankle. He could tell because of the calcium deposits on the xray due to the healing process. She had no swelling or bruising.
Take him in just to be safe. No emergency, but the regular doctor or specialist can tell better if its a slight fracture. Good luck!

HI L.---I had the horrible experience of dropping my daughter as her dad handed her to me out of the shower. We did take her to the ER right away and they were more concerned with the bump on her head than the possible injury of her left arm, which she landed on pretty solidly. Apparently, her forehead hit the tub as well.

She ended up having a green stick fracture of her forearm. It was extremely hard to diagnose. First, we were moving that week. Secondly, she didn't always seem to have a problem with her arm, only at times, can't recall any bruising or swelling, but this was 22 years ago. On a subsequent visit to the Docs office, she was diagnosed with an ear infection. The docs dismissed an injury to her arm as she would rub her eyes with that hand when crying and would also do other things which wouldn't normally make one think of a broken bone. But she would have problems with things like putting her arm in a sleeve.

A full week after I dropped her, I couldn't take it anymore. They finally found the green stick fracture. Just imagine when you try to break a green stick, it bends and frays at the bend, but doesn't completely 'break' the bone. She wore a splint for two weeks and was perfectly fine after that.

I guess I would watch and wait for awhile to see how things progress. If my daughter's fracture only required a half cast with ace wrap to heal in two weeks, you might be able to do something to protect his arm while you watch him. But you don't want to see him suffer so if he seems fussier than normal, I'd call you pediatrician and see what he/she says. Good luck. D.

I'd make sure to follow through with the doc. Children can have such falls to cause something called a 'buckle fracture' which seems like a sprain! This happened to my 12 year old son...he woke me at 2 a.m. for pain relief...but when he asked me to tie his shoes in the morning, I became very suspicious! A follow up proved a buckle fracture and ultimate cast. (he was still good enough to ride the bus and attend the first part of his school day before I got a doctor appointment and ultimate x-ray).

I'm also a preschool teacher, and have seen similar situations: falls from play structures, reports of falls from beds to result in the same diagnosis.

Don't freak out about this...I think the pain of a sprain can feel the same as a fracture. But I'm not an MD....it's worth a painless x-ray!

He needs to go to ER. It may be a greenstick fracture ( a bend in the bone) and needs xrayed.
M. Rouse

My son is a little older, he is 10 and we spent the day at the hospital with him in outpatient surgery. On May 30 he fell with his bike and broke both his Radial and Ulna bones, (sorry if the spelling is wrong). Last week the x-rays looked bad when he did this, and then they did a manual manipulation to the arm with him knocked out. The next day we went back for a cast check and the X-rays looked better than the day before. The surgeon looked at the X-rays on Monday and said he didn't need to look at him for a week...the swelling needed to be gone completly. Well yesterday we went to the surgeon and then today it was the hospital for another manual manipulation and 2 pins.

I'ld take him to the doctor have it checked out and just make sure for your own peace of mind. If you think there is a problem be safe not sorry. You don't want to have his wrist screwed up at such an early age and if there is even a fracture you can keep him comfortable while it heals not wonder why he is getting crankier and more misserable.

Good luck

Personally if it were my child he would have been in the ER right after falling. Why guess? an exray will let you know definitely what is wrong and what treatment you need if any. I went off my horse and fractured my wrist, I'm an adult and I didn't know it was broken myself until it was exrayed. Hope your son turns out okay.

S.

Both of my kids have had broken bones, and there was no swelling or bruising, but there was constant terrible pain as soon as it happened. My daughter broke her wrist, and was still able to wiggle all her fingers, etc. If your son is using it, and not screaming in pain about it, I would think that it is just a sprain. I would try some motrin/tylenol and see if it helps.

Good luck!

If your child fell out of his crib and he seems hurt, I wouldn't mess around at all. It is not worth it. Take him in. If you don't think it warrents an ER visit take him to his pediatrician for sure.

I use arnica gel for temporary relief of bruises & minor muscle & joint pain, swelling & stiffness from over-exercising, sprains, falls, blows, and sports injuries. As long as the skin isn't broken I use arnica. Amazing stuff, I wish I'd known about it before my baby had done the same thing. :) Hope it's nothing much. A. H

My step-daughter fell off a tramp when she was 8 and hurt her wrist. Obviously, she could tell us a lot more than your 18 month old can, but we took her in to get checked out. She had MULTIPLE x-rays done because they were worried that she had injured her 'growth plate'. I'm not sure about all of the technical terms, but if kids injure them when they are young, it can stunt their growth in their limbs. I don't know if this has to even be a concern because of his age (he may be too young yet) but I wanted to warn you because of the location. We had to watch her for awhile, but she ended up being just fine. I hope that you have the same outcome! I guess just wait on the doctor's call and hope for the best. Good luck!

you've got to get an xray. had my daughter at 2 1/2 fall off a chair and she cried but we didn't think much of it. it was not until 2 or 3 days later that it looked a little puffy we took her to the dr. Xrays showed a fracture, needed a cast, the whole bit. better to be safe than sorry. they make it as much fun as they can for kids. stuffed animals, colored casts etc.

good luck,
J.