Have a broken it?

[hasanyoneseenbarb]

Not sure if I'm being very dramatic but after a tumble on the ice yesterday landing on my elbow I'm worried it may be broken.

I'm not wanting to waste the hospitals time if not broken. This evening I'm in a lot more pain and struggling to move the arm at all without shooting pains up and down my arms and in my wrist....

I struggled to undress this evening and have a constant ache in the arm. I'm not sure if ringing 111 will be any help? (again not wanting to waste resources at a time like this)

Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated

Even if it’s not broken it’s going to be painful for a couple of weeks I would think. Rest it as much as you can and keep an eye out for numbness and swelling. Take ibropfen.

This is going too far. Its not up to you to try to guess if you have broken your elbow joint or not.
If you can't move or dress without intense pain, you need to get it seen. If you've damaged it and try to walk it off instead of getting the right treatment you will make it worse, and possibly need more treatment later on.

^^
What upstartcrow said.

111 won’t be any use, they’ll just tell you to go to MIU/A&E. Take some paracetamol and ibuprofen and get it checked out. If you have reduced range of movement and are struggling with simple tasks you won’t be wasting their time.

Sorry that's supposed to be I not A**

It is much more painful today but as it wasn't immediate severe pain it makes me think it is not broken?

Go and get it checked out.

My Grandma broke her leg and she spent three days walking on it, helping her neighbours after severe flooding. If it weren't for the fact that the leg was swelling and my Grandpa literally dragged her to her daughter and BIL (both doctors in hospital), she'd have done more damage to herself than she already had.
Don't be a hero. Have it checked. It could be something as trivial as torn ligaments but it can bloody hurt and you need rest and anti-inflammatories.

You need to go to A&E and get an x-ray x

Elbow fractures can be complicated and heal poorly if they aren't carefully managed. The shooting pains sound like nerve pinching. You need to go and get it x-rayed.

I've broken my elbow before. I couldn't bend it or if i had my hand stretched out in front of me, I couldn't twist it up and down if that makes sense.

They didn't do anything to it other than tell me to keep it moving it to stop the joint setting back in one position but mine was confirmed with an XRay. It probably depends on exactly which bone in your elbow could be broken.

Get it checked out!

You need to get it checked out. What you describe is an entirely appropriate reason to visit A&E.

my daughter broke her elbow she had to have a cast as the break weakens the joint and there is a danger of dislocation
This is exactly the type of injury you should be going to a +e for.

Have you got a local Minor Injuries unit with x-ray facilities?

You've not got X-Ray vision and neither has anyone else so a visit to the hospital is going to feature sometime. Either way inflammation from injury (either soft tissue or bone) takes 48 hours to come to its fullest so you can expect increased pain and reduction of movement in that time. None of these indications will either rule in or rule out fracture.

But it boils down to this - you have pain and difficulty relating to an injury and you will need some medical intervention. your options are:

1. Get a GP appointment - they do not have X-Ray facilities so may book an appointment at the hospital X-Ray dept.
2. Phone 111 who will arrange for you to attend hospital
3. Attend hospital. Minor injury unit if you have one or A&E dept. It will be classed as an "old" injury and as such you will be triaged as low priority - take a book and be prepared to wait.

You have an injury you are not wasting anyone's time. You are absolutely justified in attending an A&E with your injury. Don't overthink it.

Hi how are you today? did you go to a+e?

I fractured my elbow but it wasn’t immediately painful. It swelled up and had black bruising. There isn’t much they can do for a fracture so I was given co-codamol (can’t take them they make me ill) and a sling and told to rest it. I had to get my mum to wash my hair as I couldn’t.

I cracked my elbow. It was very painful. Go and get it checked.

I went to my local A&E today they were very helpful. It's been put in a sling and is being X Rayed tomorrow morning. Currently dosed up on co-codamol cursing the ice!