to ask your advice/tips/help with Ds (10) and his broken upper arm

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

(Posting here for traffic. Sorry, I'm just desperate for info!)

My lovely DS is 10. Yesterday he was with his Dad doing a fun outdoors activity, and he fell off and broke his upper arm. He's been to the hospital and X-Rayed, it's a clean break, right by the shoulder.

It's not in a cast, just a collar/cuff sling.

We go back to the fracture clinic in 2 weeks.

I have questions!

1. SLEEP.

I know he has to keep the arm "hanging" so it heals. But how should he sleep? Sling on or off? (Apparently, the hospital said off, but everything I've Googled says on.)

Should he be sitting up in bed, with his back propped on pillows?

1. SITTING.

Is he OK to sit with his arm across his body, resting on his lap..? If his lower arm takes any weight, will that stop his upper arm from being in the right position?

The arm isn't in a cast so I'm scared it'll just flop out of place. A cast seems much "safer", but apparently, they don't use them on breaks this far up.

ANY tips/reassuring stories/gin/hand-holding gratefully received!

I wasn't at the hospital so I couldn't ask the Dr these questions.

Thank you!

If you know what ward delt with him (A&E or children's orthopaedics whatever it was) ring them and ask to speak to one of the nurses. They can tell you. Hope he's ok.

I'm a nurse on a children's orthopaedic ward. The weight of his arm should be pulling the bone into the correct place. I would probably keep the sling on all the time.

But I probably would phone A&E or fracture clinic proper advice

Thanks -- I called the clinic. Sleep without the cuff as they don't like kids sleeping with things round their neck. See them in 2 weeks.

It's all quite casual - I thought broken bones were really serious?!

If he had a cast on, I'd be so much more relaxed. I'm imagining his two bits of broken arm flopping about like a broken pencil inside a sock.

It is likely that he has broken the top bit of his upper arm (surgical neck of humerus).
These are not usually put in casts because you can't immobilise shoulders like that.
Gravity keeps the bone in line, as soon as it breaks it has a sort of soft mend between the two bits. Children usually do well with broken bones x

Honestly, there aren't two pieces of bone flapping about. There are muscles and soft tissues holding them together. A cast won't do much. It's likely undisplaced if he doesn't need surgery so it's more a matter of being cautious to allow the bone to heal.

We are veterans of many a broken arm many of them mine.
My dad had break like OP describes & didn't worry about the sling at night or sitting up things. Just dealt with those instructions for out of bed time .

Thank you all so much! I feel like he's made of glass.

How long does it take to heal? I'm reading everything and it seems like 1-2 months is normal?

piece of string.. but kids do heal fast. Straightforward breaks the arm isn't fully healed until up to 12 weeks afaik. But feels like it's almost normal after 5-6 weeks very often. My teen broke elbow 2 weeks ago, & it won't be right until 6-9 wks total, we're told.

Mine was telling me about the < crunch > sound he heard when it broke (Lovely ).

crunch sound... shudder!

One time I broke my forearm was no sling, arms heal faster without a sling, keeps the blood flow better and keeps muscle strength up (AFAIK). My dad was also convinced it must be wrong treatment to only be in sling when he broke his upper arm, btw, you're not alone to be surprised.

DD did this too although she ended up with surgery to temporarily pin it in place. It took around 3 maybe 4 months for it to heal. It's all a bit of a blur to be honest as it was a bad break and she spent a fortnight in hospital but I'm pretty sure she slept in the sling and was propped up with pillows. I hope your DS is recovered soon

Thanks so much, all of you.

There's no bruising at all. None. Is that weird?

The paramedics initially thought it was dislocated. I've dislocated my shoulder and so has DS's dad. This couldn't be a dislocation mistaken for a break..? I'm sure that's ridiculous. But the lack of bruising strikes me as odd.

My sister did this! Within a few weeks she was playing volleyball with her arm still in its sling

DD didn't have much bruising either which suprised me too. If it helps she is fully recovered now and back doing a taxing sport which is how she broke it in the first place !

DH often dislocates his shoulder; the agony DH goes thru is nothing like a broken arm, ime. Agree with others I wouldn't expect bruising always with broken arm.

My DS broke his upper arm in 2 places playing rugby. He had a sling and that was all. Sling on when awake but not when asleep. He healed really well only in sling for 4 weeks and had physio then for a couple of weeks after.

All your posts have REALLY calmed me down. Thank you!

I've dislocated my shoulder and yes, it's agony. Non-stop agony too -- at least DS seems to be pretty much pain-free when he's had his Calpol. So you're right, it's probably not that - and they've x-rayed it, so they'd definitely know.

Thanks again. You've been really helpful

If you've dislocated your shoulder you should know that your son hasn't!

But I can imagine how you feel. Being in plaster is so much more 'stable'. I hope he recovers well.

HI, DS1 has this many years ago with the same treatment, and I was surprised and nervous too. And we were due to go on holiday - camping. Within a few days he was moving around very confidently, wading in streams and scrambling up bans etc. I can't remember about the sleeping but the advice seemed to be that he would naturally protect it as much or as little as needed. It all healed absolutely fine, the only problem was we were away when he was supposed to return to the fracture clinic and the hospital made an almight fuss about us taking his x rays away so that he could attend a clinic where we were (also in UK)- I guess these days they could just email them over.
Anyway, it was all fine, don't worry!

Dd did this a year ago. We were told to keep the sling on at all times. We treated in like a cast. When we went for the check up they were surprised and said it could be taken off for washing etc. Took 6 weeks to heal.

Maybe a broken arm sounds worse, but most breaks, everything is back in the right place just damaged. With dislocation, body parts are stretched the wrong way, like a jigsaw forced together in very wrong way. Dislocation is very much worse to endure, near as I can tell.

DS is still wearing the T-short he had his accident in. Nobody's taken it off. He was x-rayed wearing it.

I feel I should take it off to keep an eye on his shoulder... but I'm too scared to try to remove it! I'd cut it off him but it's his brand-new cool one and he'd be heartbroken (and I can't find a replacement online).

Do you think I should try to remove it? Or if the hospital didn't, can I leave it on?

I'd be a crap nurse. I'm very caring and attentive but I'm NOT brave.

Its up to you and him. If you take it off take "good" arm out first then sort of ease it over broken arm.
Id be tempted to just leave it on tbh but its going to have to come off eventually.
Is he on pain relief?
You'd just get used to it if you were a hcp x