6 Year Old Buckle Fracture Now in Cast

Oh my goodness. Really active kids will get hurt every once in a while. Heck my nephew was fearless, he was always taking chances.
He got hurt in all sorts of situations, sometimes at school, sometimes with his parents right there, one time with his father and then school sports.. OMG..
But he is a kid that is naturally super active.

Guess who was always getting hurt, banged up in casts.. etc.. Yep my sister, his M.. When she was a child, she was the one climbing to the top of a tree and wanting a sheet "to use as a parachute". She took gymnastics and was determined to learn to do back flips on the balance beam. Even in high school she jumped on the hood of a car and ended up sliding off and onto the street on her face!!!! She said she "knew better but did not think anything would happen."

Some kids are just daredevils, or in my case clumsy and I am always twisting my ankle, tripping or tipping over.

He is 6. This is just the beginning of all sorts of adventures that may end in some bumps, bruises or breaks. You cannot hold him back because of your fears, but you can explain to him he needs to stop and think before he takes chances. And I promise, if anyone tries to grab or tug at him, he is going to let it be known he does not like that.

Being a rent is not for the faint of heart. If HE feels like he is ready to go back to school, for goodness sakes, let him go.

You are going to turn him into a hypochondriac. Yes, he got hurt. But millions of kids do beautifully every day without their parents hawking over them and without checking their ears obsessively. Please stop. Let them grow. You can't protect them from life, and if they never face physical adversity, they will be soft as a feather when it hits and unable to bounce back. He is old enough to tell his friends the ground rules for touching his arm, now and later.

I suggest he will do fine in school. Teachers and staff will help him. Keeping him out of school is harmful. He will have trouble catching up, will have to once more adjust to school. He's apt to feel left out when he returns.

I suggest you take a look at your anxiety/fears. A broken arm is just one thing that he'll have to learn to deal with. When you protect him you are teaching him to also be fearful. Do you want him to feel like you do? Wouldn't you like him to grow up confident and knowing he is capable to handle life's difficult things.

As to taking the cast off, they will only do that if the bone is healed. The normal give and take in the classroom will not hurt him.

I looked up buckle fracture on the Internet. It said that his arm and hand may be weaker and will fully recover in 2-3 weeks without physical therapy.

When I was growing up fractures were common. Children went to school and continued a rough and tumble life. I suggest we often over protect our children now. You may have been ovef protected or not protected enough. Did you get to learn that you would be ok?

He'll be fine at school. He'll probably do more damage to other kids with his cast than they'll do to him.
My daughter broke her arm at three and still went to daycare and Bible school with no issues. She had to be reminded to be careful swinging it around so as not to hit anyone, but she was fine. Kids heal quickly.
She also had a "boxers break" in her hand when she was 12 and went to school just fine. The teachers modified her classes for her. She missed out on volleyball and ended up doing a little physical therapy to get her hand working properly for basketball, but she was fine.

Kids are resilient. He'll probably enjoy the extra attention and novelty of everyone signing his cast.

When my daughter was three she fell down the stairs in our house and sustained a buckle fracture to her wrist. I was right in front of her and tried to stop her fall but couldn't! I was right there! Bad things can happen anywhere. She healed quickly and beautifully with no problems! Relax, mama....he will be fine!!

Something bad can happen anywhere at any time. I can't tell you how many times I've watch a child fall when I was just a half step too far away to do anything but watch. It could have just as easily happened when he was under your care.

You need to send him back to school and get back into a normal routine. The older you draw this out the longer it'll take for you to get back to living life.

it's no use saying 'don't worry.' if you're a worrier, you will worry.
but that doesn't mean you should allow your worry to negatively impact your children.
you do not want to project your anxieties onto them, or turn them into hypochondriacs. and yeah, slightly swollen fingers after a fracture and a cast are pretty normal. so are occasional setbacks and re-injuries, although they're far less likely than your over-active imagination is telling you.
you don't really think you can keep him wrapped up for 3 weeks and beyond, do you?
vent to us about your worries, drink a cup of chamomile tea, plaster on a calm smile and a positive attitude for your child, and send him to school.
khairete
S.

The first injury is always the toughest! You put him in a car seat and drove him home from getting the cast on, right? That was far more dangerous than sending him to school! Why do you think the kids will be grabbing his hand? Other kids have casts and slings, and it's just not all that interesting to kids after the first 3 minutes! Let your kids be kids - we just can't protect them. They play, they fall, they break stuff, they heal. The body is an amazing machine!

He should heal just fine and if he's only going to be in the cast for 3 weeks, that's pretty good and indicates it's not a terrible break. If he needs a few exercises when he gets the cast off, it's not a huge deal. You can't know everything now - you have to play it by ear. But 3 weeks in a cast is pretty good! If he needs a little brace for a few weeks afterwards, they will tell you that. The best thing will be for him to start using it again. When body parts are immobilized for long periods of time, it's tougher to come back as quickly.

Please try not to make him miserable by favoring that area for the rest of his life - let him play and be a fully active kid. My son's been on crutches a few times in his life, and he's in awesome shape now as an adult - great athlete, totally healthy.

My daughter is a competitive dancer and gets hurt all the time...unfortunately.

Last year at school she was pushed and when she fell, her thumb broke. She went to school the next day with her cast on, no issues.

Last year she also had runners knee, and had an ace wrap on her knee for a few weeks to help with pain...no problems.

This year she broke her foot and went from crutches to a walking cast to an air soft boot (or something like that) and she didn't have any issues with that either.

I hate that my kids can't be protected by ME all the time, but if we don't let them go, they will never learn how to grow up and make responsible choices. Your son's fracture is common, and while it is scary as a parent to have a kid in a cast, you have to let the kids learn how to function with it.

For what it's worth, I broke my left arm in two places and dislocated my elbow (my sister cherry bumped me on the see saw) when I was 4 or so...I am now 31 and completely fine...I actually think as soon as I got my movement back after the cast I was fine. That's how I've seen my daughter progress as well.

My DD broke her arm last summer, 3 years old.
believe me, a 3year old in a cast is a very nerve-wracking experience. I was so nervous that she would bump it wrong, fall, or put too much pressure in it... You know, typical M. worrying.

I was completely over it by the time she had it on for a week. Heck, SHE didn't even notice it too much, and played just like she normally would. We went to the park almost daily, and no kids ever seemed overly interested in it. Even the kids in her preschool-therapy (she goes for speech therapy twice a week) pretty much ignored it once they were told what it was and why she was wearing it... And those kids have much less impulse control than 6 year olds. Those casts are TOUGH, and provide a great deal of protection. My daughter tripped and fell, using he casted arm to catch herself out of reflex several times... And it did absolutely nothing to her. It didn't even cause her any pain. I would definitely send him back to school... Buy him a few sharpies so his friends and teachers can sign he cast. ;)

If you are worried about kids being rough with him after the cast is off, you could try wrapping his arm in an ace bandage for an extra week or two, to remind your son and his friends to take it easy... But I really don't think that would be necessary. I would just wait and see how everyone handles the cast this next few weeks, and ask the doctor what he thinks when he gets the cast removed.

Other than having to be a little careful with her arm for a couple weeks, my dd has not had any issues with hers at all. I was a nervous wreck for the first two weeks. Obsessing with the idea that if she fell or got pulled on wrong, she would re-break the bone... But it never happened.

Also... I suffered a buckle fracture (I had to look it up to be sure what kind of fracture it was... Lol.) when I was 16. It didn't affect the way I can use my hand at all, and I was able to use it regularly almost immediately. (It did take a few hours for the stiffness from being casted for so long to go away).. And younger kids heal faster/better than older ones do. So I really don't foresee any issues there.

This is a very common fracture ! Both my boys had it happen - one at school and one during the summer before kindergarten. The cast does so well at protecting the arm. His teacher will watch for him and make sure other kids don't mess with him. The doctor will X-ray his arm again before the cast is off to make sure it has healed. My kids also got removable braces to wear for a week or two after the cast was off. And yes - their arms are just as good afterward from what the doctors told us.

Yes, you're being paranoid LOL. He'll be fine. Injured kids are a routine part of school life. The teachers and nurses know how to help him, and other than some attention when he first comes in ("oh cool a cast, can we sign it?") the novelty will wear off quickly and the kids won't even notice it. You can't keep him home forever. If he's not in pain and has no complications, it's time to get him back to school. He'll be fine, and you will be too. Once his arm is healed, it's healed so yes, he'll be able to use his hand as before. I know this kind of stuff is scary, but really in the grand scheme of things, broken bones are no big deal - they're set, they heal, and that's it.

Just imagine being at a gymnastics place and your kiddo going over to do a cartwheel but landing it wrong. Breaking both bones in their arm about 3 inches above the wrist.

Well, that happened to my girl. I was so afraid to send her anywhere. She was with me a couple of weeks later when her class was going on, I was working, she went to class and had a blast. She learned to do aerials, flips where her hands are not used. She had a spotter helping her at first then she was doing them on her own. I freaked out inside! She had 2 broken bones in her arm!!!

She loved it and wanted to go the next week too. I let her. When her cast came off I was worried it would be too weak from not being used the past 6 weeks. She didn't favor it or even seem to have any weakness.

So let kiddo set the pace. If they're ready to go forward let them try.

he's probably gonna have some swelling for several days... as long as his pain is controlled, he needs to be at school :)

This is what I have done when my kids have had casts/crutches/broken whatever or could not even walk without crutches at school, nor carry things themselves:
1) I wrote their Teacher with "instructions" about what my child's mobility is or not, in light of their injury/condition.
2) I also, say, it is DOCTOR's orders. For their current condition, and per after-care after their crutches or cast comes off.
3) I tell my kids plainly and directly, WHAT the Doctor has said/what they can or cannot do etc. And they understand.
4) So in light of all that.... their Teacher, TALKS to the class... and lets the classmates know too, so that, they are all on the same page. AND if, some kid is rough, then MY kids, speaks up. And they know, what their condition is and about their mobility and care instructions from their Doctor.
5) Their Teacher, will also ask a fellow classmate, to "help" my child until they are fully recovered and able.

It has been no problem.

ETA: my son just for the last 2 weeks, was on crutches then still had to refrain from certain activities. Due to a leg condition. He couldn't do normal "boy" things. His Doctor told him, I told him, he FULLY knew what it was about and why, he is 7, and he did what he was supposed to do, and his Teacher was fully informed by me & my son told her too, and the class and his classmates helped him. And he also spoke up, when/if he needed help. And if a kid tried to convince him to go play at recess, my son said "no, my leg..." and he did not. And he did other things. And other classmates helped him carry his things/his lunch plate/his backpack and what not. And I also gave the Teacher a Doctor's note to verify it. Just in case.
Another time, my daughter had injured her knees, on 4 different occasions, within the same year. And she was on crutches and a leg brace and she was fine. I did with her and her Teacher, what I did with my son. Inform the teacher, my daughter fully knew about her condition too, because she and I was at the Doctor office, she fully knew. And the classmates helped her. I sent her to school the next day. It was fine.
Another time at 7 years old, she had surgery. After the home recuperation time, about 3 days, we sent her to school. For about 4 weeks after that she had to refrain from normal kid activities. She couldn't run. She couldn't jump around. She couldn't lift things. Or else she would risk rupturing her incision and stitches and healing. It was fine. As always, I sent a note to the Teacher, had a Doctor's note to verify it, I and the Doc gave her after care instructions, she was fine. And the other kids were fine about it too. Because the Teacher spoke to the class about it. She was fine.

The cast itself really isn't a concern. My son broke his ankle just before going to bed, although we didn't realize it until morning. So first thing in the morning my husband brought him to urgent care where they cast it. They came home and all of us piled into the car and off we went to Disneyland because we had tickets for a non-refundable event. We rented him a wheelchair when we got there because it was a walking cast but they didn't want him walking on it all over Disneyland and so it had time to set, it had also been raining. He was fine and had a blast. We got to have all the special perks of having a wheel chair too.
If he's in pain and discomfort I would consider keeping him home a day or so to let the worst of the swelling and pain to subside. He's not going to be able to concentrate or learn if he's in too much pain. I know when I broke my big toe I was in serious amounts of pain for a couple days. I wasn't in school at that point but had I been I wouldn't have wanted to try to sit and concentrate in class.
Base it on how he's feeling, not what ifs.

of course he will use his hand and arm when he gets the cast off.

kids break bones all the time.. get casts.. heal up and go on back out to play again.. normal childhood stuff.

he needs to go to school. no one gets to stay home because they have a cast on their arm. just as no adult gets to take 6 weeks off work because they have a cast on an arm or a leg..

send him to school. if he has restrictions the dr will give you a note.. if the dr didn't give a note.. then he has no restrictions and let him go play..

You seem very concerned as WOULD I BE. I am an overprotective M.. I say keep him home just to keep your heart happy. He will enjoy the extra Mommy time with you anyways. :)

I remember someone on this site once wrote, that their kid is so accident prone, the kid broke his arm while holding his mother's hand. Accidents happen. Healing happens. I would send him back to school. But if it makes you feel more comfortable, one more day at home probably wouldn't hurt either, it's not like he's missing that much learning at 6 y.o.

Best,
F. B.