DS (almost 4) has complained about a sore arm for the past week. He is holding it in a sling type position, bent at the elbow and close to his chest, and is very reluctant to move it. He can move it however, and seems to have full range of movement, albeit painful movement at times. He is playing as normal otherwise and even had a morning at a soft play where he happily threw himself round the equipment (with arm firmly fixed in his favoured sling pose). He is a tough lad who throws himself about in a typical brutish manner and very rarely complains of being hurt. He usually brushes himself down and carries on. Even this week when I can tell he's in pain he tells me "it's fine!"
He had a 'pulled elbow' on the same arm about a year ago but was in incredible pain until it popped back in after which you wouldn't even know it had happened and he carried on as normal.
So to summerise, he's not in constant pain, there's no swelling, no visible bruising as such (bit red/mottled around elbow) and he does have full range of movement when pushed to it......aibu to think it could still be fractured? Has anyone had experience of a child breaking a bone without any obvious signs (swelling/pain/etc)?? I'm sure I'm worrying over nothing but I just expected it to be improving after a week
AIBU?
To think it could still be broken?
MrsSocks · 26/02/2015 20:55
DS1 broke his arm aged 4. He behaved exactly as your DS re holding the arm in the sling position, now and then coming for a cuddle but not complaining of pain. After a couple of hours we took him to A&E. He was in a cast for three or four weeks, no real harm done.
Top tip - if he does end up in plaster, keep the cast when they take it off - he will be amazed how small it is when you show it to him years later when he's a strapping 6 footer. 
Thanks carabos good idea about the cast. I remember a friend getting stuck in her childhood cast after boasting she could still get it on 
ermm, 
I once made a child do PE with a broken arm. to be fair his parent thought it would be Ok. We were both mortified when we found out that a few days after he fell at home that he had a greenstick fracture and we had let him do PE. I suppose running around games in Pe are not much different to running around the playground. He was not holding it as much as your child is either. They did not complain much and the parent only took the child when he had mentioned it again a few days afterwards
so yes, get it looked at. Greenstick fractures can hide.
Had an x ray done of his elbow, all fine. Since then there's been little change other than the pain seems to be getting worse! I'm having to manage it with calpol and nurofen now, he's actually complaining and crying in pain. Hospital said little other than that it wasn't broken and that he was probably still holding it as he was worried it would hurt if moved. I can definetly see bruising and swelling round it now and he still won't let me touch it. Looks like we are just going to have to ride this out! It's breaking my heart seeing this tough little lad in pain though. He's not a soft touch so he must have really hurt it to be suffering still 
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