How To Know If Your Child Has A Wrist Fracture
Table of contents for fracture
- How To Know If Your Child Has A Wrist Fracture
- How To Create An Effective Splint For A Child In Seconds
**Its important to know that if you suspect that your child has seriously injured himself then you should have it checked out immediately. Don’t dismiss a possible fracture because it didn’t pass the fracture test below. If your child is in pain then consider having her checked out right away.**
How to check for a fracture
Check the arm for D.O.T.S
D-eformity
O-pen wounds
T-enderness
S-welling/Bruising
Deformity
The easiest way to tell if there is a fracture is to compare the two arms together. If one looks slightly deformed at the wrist (or elbow for an elbow fracture) then you would know if there is a possible fracture.
Tenderness
The second best way to check for a fracture, if there is no deformity, is to feel gently along the side of bone of the wrist. Feel on the top and the sides of the wrist/arm. If there is any pain at a specific point along the bone then it’s quite possible that there is a fracture. If not, it’s possible that it’s just a sprain. Since a sprain is an injury to the ligaments of a joint, a person with a sprain wouldn’t feel pain if you felt gently along the bone. Regardless, you would need to have it looked at by a doctor.
Bruising/Swelling
You should be able to quickly see if there is any swelling or bruising. Also, its very possible for bruising and swelling to be present even if there is no fracture.
My wife fell on her wrist while ice-skating in the winter and it looked terrible. It was bruised all over. However, there was no fracture but she still felt lots of pain. It even hurt her when the medics felt gently along the bone. In the end, she had to wear a wrist brace for at least six weeks and have repeated x-rays of her wrist. So not all injuries that pass the fracture test are indeed fractures.
As for open wounds, while they can exist at the site of the fracture this is uncommon. So really, you are looking for any deformity, bruising, or swelling and feeling for tenderness.
Regardless of the injury, you will want to apply ice. If it’s a possible fracture then first splint the injury and then apply ice.
Important Note
Do not apply the ice directly on the skin. Wrap the ice or cold compress before applying it to the site of injury. A plastic bag of ice needs to be wrapped as well. If the splinted injury is completely wrapped in a bandage then you could apply the ice directly to the bandage.
Do not apply for long periods. Apply cold for approximately 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.
Do not apply heat. This will increase swelling.
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October 2nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
[...] How To Know If Your Child Has A Wrist Fracture [...]
January 14th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
[...] It’s good to start by asking your child where it hurts. If they tell you that their head hurts then gently feel their head for any obvious injury and bleeding. A bump is common and is generally no need for concern. If they aren’t complaining of any pain in the arms and legs then chances are they have no injury there. If they do complain of pain to either their arms or legs you can easily examine them for possible fractures by following the directions in this past post. [...]
May 20th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
[...] This article was originally published on my parenting blog at Husbandhood.net [...]
May 10th, 2009 at 3:54 am
could i still be able 2 move slightly it if it was broken\fractured
June 28th, 2009 at 7:39 am
hey,
I was using this site to help with my PD assessment (your site will be on my bibliography)
your site says “Do not apply for long periods. Apply cold for approximately 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.”
but in class we learnt that it was 20 minutes on then 1 hour off.
which one is correct?
August 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
i broke my arm and i could move it fine ! so don’t always believe that the doctors were amazed i could still move my arm and it was broken in 9 different places !
August 28th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I fell off my scooter and it is swollen adn hhurts but I am typing with it right now? Is it fractured or broken or WHAT??
October 14th, 2009 at 1:14 am
i was at the park at i went on the monkey bars and i felt my right hand snap and my hand was shaking really badly so i put ice on it but its not working it hurts when i flex my hand out even if i move it . i dont know if i should see a doctor soon or what pleese help !! it happend yesterday
March 6th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
hi,
i was punching our punching bag at home and was rlly pissed off. i guess i punched the bag a little bit too hard cuz i think i might’ve fractured a single bone in my wrist. but it only hurts when pressure is applyed and when i hit something to hard the same way as i did b4. it also hurts when i move my wrist to the sides. so idk if it is fractured or just as sprain?? help my mum is takin me to docs sometime to check it out.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
k yesterday i was in p e playing indoor soccer with four goals and four teams. and someone kicked the ball about three to four feet away from me and it pushed my closed fist into my wrist now it hurts its swollen and i cant move it side to side without it hurting. whats wrong?
April 30th, 2010 at 12:13 am
poop
May 15th, 2010 at 2:47 am
I fell during lacrosse and now it hurts really bad
May 15th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Hi.
My arm has been hurting in the palm part and I don’t know if I should see a doctor about it. Can any1 plz help?? Is it fractured?? What’s wrong with it??
May 15th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
It has been hurting since last tuesday
May 23rd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
If your not sure what’s wrong, then GO TO A DOCTOR!!!!! I’m sick of reading about people asking other people online if whatever injury they obtained is broken or fractured or sprained. Most are NOT doctors and can’t diagnose something they can’t see anyway! If your seriously worried, then go to an emergency room and splint the injury before leaving. Oh, and if you can still type with little or no pain, your most likely fine.
January 15th, 2011 at 12:25 am
My wrist hurts really bad for 1-2 weeks a month then stop until the next…..whats up with it?
February 4th, 2011 at 2:39 am
hi i am lizzy i think i fracured my wrist i am not sure i am going to the doctars on mon and i have a huge bruise and it swallen in the fingers the wrist and it is tender i whent to rub my wrist and it hurt i told my gram parents about it and i fell on rollar blades and made it worse it is either fracured or a really bad sprain i cant even use it without pain i tried every thing i can and it is getting worse by the minit
March 1st, 2011 at 1:37 am
uggggh i slipped and fell and now i cant decide if it is a fracture or a break or a sprain
April 23rd, 2011 at 1:39 am
Ok I fell down my stairs today and I smashed my arm (2 inches under the wrist on the ulna side). There’s a huge bump where I got it smashed at and my wrist and that bump is bruised. I can move my wrist but it hurts. When it happened I was home alone and was going to call 911 but I didn’t. It also hurts to move my thumb too much and my fingers. My mom said it was just a bruised muscle but I was crying when she touched it. It’s also really tender. I’m going to the doctor in 3 days for an appointment.
May 14th, 2011 at 8:27 am
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June 13th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
i slipped and hit my distal radius pretty hard on the edge of my book shelf. it did not swell up right away. however, evrytime i got active it got much more swollen. it is bruised black and blue all over and i can not bend it back, to the side, or forward very well without an extreme pain. i can move all my fingers but it hurts to move my thumb alot! my thumb is numb and tingling
July 12th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
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August 12th, 2011 at 4:37 am
i was bmxing at my local park and slamed on my wrist, it hurts when its not moving, but feels fine when it is hahaha i think its just a sprain but idk
August 16th, 2011 at 10:47 am
hello sir,
i feel the pain in my wrist ares when i put a pessure on mu snads.i consulted the doctor but he told me that there is no fracture and i evn had a x-ray.is there any possibility of fracture?
August 28th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Soccer is my favorite,so is David Beckham.
September 5th, 2011 at 1:54 am
hi i plan on goin to the er tomorrow morning but my six yr old tripped n fell on her blanket in the process she slammed her hand into her dresser now when it happened she said her hand went numb and now its painful to touch she cant move it or her fingers without pain n its swollen whats ur opinion?
September 9th, 2011 at 1:43 am
I always crack my wrist and then I have to do push ups and farmer jacks in gym and my wrist started to hurt really bad ! So then it just poped and now i can’t movee it at all and I can’t hold things or flex it . I also can barley move my fingers !!!!! WHATS WRONG WITH IT !!!
October 16th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
i hurt my arm and wrist when i trapped it in the door at home i have a huge bruise and a lump on my arm. i can’t do anything with it at all im in constant pain and my finger go stiff and tingley all the time. i have had pain killers but they dont work my mum doesnt want to take me to the hospital what do i do
November 27th, 2012 at 5:20 am
I broke my wrist but don’t want to go to the doctor. I can tell its broken but all I want to do now is poop. I made a homemade splint out of toilet paper and paper towels. Should i just poop? Any sugestions?
April 13th, 2013 at 4:01 am
Hi i was walking to class tripped and fell on some stairs
My wrist and for arm area is no swollen bruised slightly cut and un severe pain i can not make a fist. I am only 15. I dont want to tell my mom she will think im seeking attention. Help?