Is it possible to break a bone & not know?

[Alsonification]

Sorry I didn't know where to put this. Nowhere on the health section seemed suitable.

And before anyone says, yes I know I need a doctor & I'm going to my local minor injury clinic tomorrow but I'm just wondering if anyone has experience similar.

A few weeks ago I banged my hand off a chair & my thumb bent the wrong way slightly. Nothing too serious. No bruise or anything. Everything fine. It was a bit sore if I moved it a certain way afterward but I assumed sore from the bang.
However it's not going away, in fact it's getting worse & I think the bone feels different to the other side underneath the skin.
I'm a childminder so lifting kids etc so I'm still working but I have to be careful I don't move it a particular way.

But, it's not bruised, discoloured, swollen & im still using it fine (but just not certain ways, for example peeling vegetables is painful but I can still do it).
I'm just wondering if anyone has had similar.

Photo is circled where it's painful. If I press down on this area it's agony.

I fractured a bone in my foot and was in severe pain, but minor injuries missed it twice and when it was finally identified on a scan two months after the event the GP surgery failed to tell me, so it was another month before I found out.

A friend had a stress fracture in her tibia, which was only found after about two months after she had begged her GP for a referral for a scan. Up to that point, the GP's advice had been to take painkilłers regularly, but to keep walking on it!

I think given that there are so many bones in our hands and feet it would be easy to break one yes.

I broke my hand and didn't know. It hurt like fuck for weeks, and I couldn't do simple things like lift up heavy cups full of tea, but I just thought it was bruised until an x-ray showed it was broken but almost healed.

A scaphoid fracture doesn’t always show up straightaway so it’s often re x rayed after 10 days. Or MRI/CT if fracture strongly suspected but not showing on plain x ray. It’s important to get diagnosis as there can be blood supply problems if not healed properly.

I've done this more than once due to a combination of clumsiness and lack of interoception.

Interoception is a sense that lets you feel what is going on inside your body: hunger; thirst; pain. It's common for ADHD or autistic people to have issues with this sense - just putting that out there in case you have any other signs of being ND.

I broke my wrist emptying the tumble dryer. I made a GP appointment 4 weeks later because it was aching while I was crocheting. He sent me for an X-ray then phoned me 2 weeks later to tell me it was broken but too late to do anything about it.

I fell at beginning of Nov and I must’ve broken my fall with my thumb out as it hurt for aaages. I think it’s just about stopped over two months later - similar to yours in that if I did certain movements it was painful. Not much bruising or swelling if any, and I’ve got so much crap going on health wise, I cba with getting it looked at! It was prob just sprained.
If it’s worse I’d def get it looked at - you never know! I sent student dc to minor injuries this week as she’d twisted her ankle and it didn’t sound great, but again, a sprain! Sprains can heal slower than a break, but there’s no cast!!

Thank you again everyone.
I'm really hoping it's a sprain but I don't know. Like I'm writing this message on my phone using both thumbs to type & it's fine but yet filling the dishwasher was painful.

I won't get to the minor injuries til after lunch tomorrow so I'll update after. Hopefully it won't be very exciting :)

Glad to hear you’re getting it looked at.
I’ve had 3 fractures that were diagnosed late.
Good call on the ring too.

Well boring update thankfully. Not broken but definitely strained. I've to wear this brace while I'm working to keep it protected but I've also to have it off after work & do hand exercises so it doesn't get stiff. I was in & out in 40 mins. Fantastic service.

Glad you got it checked and got something to keep it stable-sprains can be nasty!

yep, fell on a pavement (in the air after hearing a car back firing). Stupidly walked on it all day and put bandage and some freeze gel on it. Got home, doctor saw next day sent me to A&E, I’d broken 2 small bones in my foot. Didn’t see point in plaster or a boot just bandaged my foot and said rest and don’t dance/exercise on it. Bloody hurt. I’d just thought it was sprained.

I don’t know about your hand but I broke bones in my foot without realizing. My foot did swell up but I could still walk on it. It hurt a bit. I went to the doctor eventually because of the swelling, she immediately said go to A&E, you’ve broken your foot. The downside was it healed badly and affected other areas (feet are a mass of little bones, tendons, fascia etc), eventually I had to have major surgery to correct it all. Took 6 months to heal.