Aside from a few, most kids can be rough when they play, so it wouldn't be a big surprise if your child came home hurting. Here's what you need to do if your child has been told they have a broken bone.
Broken bones are referred to in the medical field as fractures. It is called an open or compound fracture if the broken bone pokes through the skin. Fractures are often caused by car accidents, falls, or injuries from sports. Most broken bones in kids happen at the wrist, in the forearm, and above the elbow.
This is a unique break because the bone doesn't break; it just buckles. Young children break their bones because their bones are still growing and are flexible. When this kind of fracture happens to a child, it is easy to treat, and the child gets better quickly.
In this kind of break, the bone bends before it breaks. But it's not finished because the bone isn't completely broken.
This usually happens when your child falls on an outstretched hand and breaks the bone near the elbow. The broken humerus can sometimes affect the nerve that controls motor function, making it hard to bend the tip of the index finger or make the okay sign. Children need six weeks to get better from a broken elbow.
This kind of injury happens in the middle of the forearm. It can be caused by falling from monkey bars or a trampoline. It is an open fracture, and most of the time, both bones in the forearm (radius and ulna) are broken. Studies have shown that this can heal on its own in children younger than ten.
The broken bone is in the radius, which is near the wrist. This could happen if your child falls sideways and lands on their wrist.
The break is mainly in the area a few centimeters below the elbow. In 60% of cases, the only bone hurt is the ulna. There is a chance that the radius is moved or even broken. This is a nasty injury that might need surgery.
This is because the growing cartilage of long bones, like the tibia, femur, etc., has been hurt. This fracture can happen when an arm or leg violently pulls a child. The healing process for the wound typically takes around three months.
The collarbone is hurt in this case. When a child falls on their shoulder or outstretched arm, they can break their collarbone.
Some of the many ways that children can break bones are:
These things are:
Some diagnostic procedures include:
This method uses electromagnetic waves to take pictures of body parts, like bones inside the body.
A device called a transducer uses sound waves to make a map of how the body is put together. An ultrasound can be used on children, especially for shoulder injuries, in the same way, an X-ray can.
A CAT scan, short for "computer tomography," is an X-ray that is more detailed and uses technology to make pictures of the body from different angles. Compared to an X-ray, the image quality is far higher.
In children, broken bones are treated with the help of a cast. Most of the time, surgery is not a good idea. If the bones are not in the right place, they are put back and held there. This is called "reduction."
Some of the things you can do at home for a broken bone are:
As soon as the bone breaks, blood rushes in, and a protein in the blood called hematoma is used to fill the hole. The edges of the broken bone are where new bone grows. Also, cartilage tissue grows to fill the holes, eventually substituted by stronger cartilage as the bone heals. Children often break their bones. But compared to adults, kids' bones are solid and heal quickly.
Fractures often happen when kids are young, but some kids are more likely to get them than others. For strong bones, make sure your child gets enough calcium and exercise. Weight-bearing exercises like jogging, walking, and jumping rope can also help build and keep bones strong.