To think they should have Xrayed

[Starlight86]

DD age 6 had an accident on the trampoline in gymnastics on Tuesday.

She hasn't been able to weight bare properly since then, only able to limp on her toes. The pain is specifically her heel.

The pain has got worse and today she was crying, so her dad took her off to A&E for an x-ray ....... her foot has swollen but not extreme, enough though that the nurse commented on it.

Anyways a doctor came and looked at it, said she wont have broken anything as to break a heel you need to fall from a height and said probably a sprain and sent her on her way.

Husband did try to say about an xray but they said no need...

Also to add, along with her crying today she cant weight bare at all on it which is why we took her.

What other treatment/suggestions did they have? Worsening care advice?

@FixTheBone is the poster you want for this one. I've no idea if she's currently active though.

Not a dr etc but I have had a lot of foot and ankle injuries and imho not being able to bear weight without pain is not an indicator of a broken bone. You can have some nasty sprains etc - did they give her a compression tube sock or anything? I find those really help.

@Purplewithred

What other treatment/suggestions did they have? Worsening care advice?

They said no activities for 2 weeks.....

That was it really, husband did try to discuss about getting an xray but they said no need.

@DeepaBeesKit

Not a dr etc but I have had a lot of foot and ankle injuries and imho not being able to bear weight without pain is not an indicator of a broken bone. You can have some nasty sprains etc - did they give her a compression tube sock or anything? I find those really help.

Yes i agree, but along with swollen foot and crying in pain i would have thought that warranted at least an X-ray

Yeah, it's a bit odd, I've generally found the threshold for an xray has been low but then I've not had issues with my heel, more with other parts of foot etc where bones break more easily

NYE 2018 I was met by the psychiatric team in A&E after breaking my heel quite badly. I was rather tipsy to say the least. They kept asking over and over how high I fell, did I jump, was I feeling unwell. Being drunk tipsy I had no idea what they were getting at. I had simply gone over on my ankle whilst wearing 3" heels.

I'd hardly consider that a fall from height. So yes it's unusual to break the heel, but it does happen. I spent 8 weeks in plaster.

Heel fractures are usually really obvious, they usually need surgery to put it back together/prevent it deforming. It does take a lot of force to fracture a heel bone so it's really unlikely to be that - see how DD gets on, if there's no improvement at all in a week take her back in.

@lollipopsandrainbows

NYE 2018 I was met by the psychiatric team in A&E after breaking my heel quite badly. I was rather tipsy to say the least. They kept asking over and over how high I fell, did I jump, was I feeling unwell. Being drunk tipsy I had no idea what they were getting at. I had simply gone over on my ankle whilst wearing 3" heels.

I'd hardly consider that a fall from height. So yes it's unusual to break the heel, but it does happen. I spent 8 weeks in plaster.

Yes this is my issue, of course it could very well be a sprain and that was our first thought which is why we dealt with it for 3 days at home, im also aware nhs is over stretched.

But surely if after 3 days, pain getting worse, starting to swell then it warrents an xray.

An x Ray is still a radiation dose which Drs would try to avoid in a child if they feel it's not absolutely necessary
A soft tissue injury is very painful so it's not a given that anything is broken because she can't weight bear and is in pain
I would concentrate more on what can be done to help her than wanting an X ray
Did they give crutches or recommend rest, ice, compression, elevation and regular analgesia.

If your not happy I would ask for a second opinion but no dr will call for an x ray unless it’s clinically indicated that it’s needed

Just take her back. Or, call your Gp, explain and ask them to refer you to X-ray.

I badly sprained my foot a few years ago and it was incredibly painful, swollen and I couldn't weight bear. So it doesn't necessarily mean a break.

The best thing I did for my injury was actually go and see a physio. I was going anyway for something else, but when I was there they massaged my foot and it really helped its recovery as apparently it helps the scar tissue to form in the best way.

I've no idea what normal protocol is but my husband broke his heel by landing on it funny/harder than usual when he stepped off a slightly high curb so not exactly a huge fall. Didn't need surgery on it luckily.

He's also sprained his ankle before though and that took a couple of weeks to heal too.

Yes, the qualified doctor can’t possibly know what they are talking about. Complain to PALS, OP

I'd go back and demand an X-ray, explain it's getting worse and no weight can be put on it. The hospital fucked up my ankles by not scanning them, walked around for 2 weeks on broken ankles before they scanned them and said sorry but it was too late for setting them in place. So doctor's do get it wrong. It's really not uncommon.

@Darkstar4855

Yes, the qualified doctor can’t possibly know what they are talking about. Complain to PALS, OP

Not sure where i said the doctor didnt know what they were talking about.........

When DD was 2, DH fell down the stairs while carrying her. I took them straight to A and E as they were both in pain. DH was X rayed and was found to have broken a rib.

They wouldn't X Ray DD, they said at her age it wouldn't be broken, it was a sprain, it would hurt but we were to make her walk in it as much as possible.

After a few days with no improvement I took her to the GP, they agreed with the hospitals assessment, as did a friend who is a GP who I asked for advice.

After 2 weeks and a lot of crying, I noticed her leg seemed to have started bowing. I took her straight back to hospital, where I was made to think I was a neurotic mother. They X rayed her, in part I think to shut me up.

It turned out her leg was broken in 3 places.

I felt so bad, and that was made worse by the people who were plastering it asking why it had taken me 2 weeks after the accident to bring her to the hospital and why hadn't I brought her straight away.

Please do not be fobbed off like I was, if your DC is in pain and you are worried please get it checked out, they can only know whether or not it is broken with any certainty is by x Ray.

Sometimes they can't X-ray if the area is too swollen. I think as it's been a few days and the pain is getting worse (do painkillers like ibuprofen help?) I would phone your GP and see what they suggest.

Many years ago I got a pain in my wrist, thought it was getting a bit stiff during an evening, so kept moving it to try and ease it. It just got worse and worse. I saw my GP and they said this sort of injury is usually done by falling down on the ground or into a wall and over stretching the tendons and ligaments in the inside of the wrist. I hadn't done either! I had to rest it and wear tubigrips for two weeks. Never had the issue since. I'm just saying this as not all injuries just happen how Drs think they should, they can be freak accidents or incidents and cause the same outcome.

@Sixgeese your poor daughter! I hope she healed quickly

Sometimes they can't X-ray if the area is too swollen No.

Doctor (A&E) here. She needs an XR
Calcaneal fracture potentially. Yes it may be normal but that’s a weird clinical presentation

@Mrbob

Sometimes they can't X-ray if the area is too swollen No.

Doctor (A&E) here. She needs an XR
Calcaneal fracture potentially. Yes it may be normal but that’s a weird clinical presentation

Thank you.

I have no idea why they didnt Xray, they can move her foot down but not up without her saying its painful, she cant tolerate putting her heel down.

They said give it 2 weeks but im not sure im happy waiting that long if i see zero improvement

She definitely needs an XR.
If a trampolining injury (where you jump up high….then come back down) isn’t a fall from height then I don’t know what is

@Fishlegs

She definitely needs an XR. If a trampolining injury (where you jump up high….then come back down) isn’t a fall from height then I don’t know what is

Yes thats what i was thinking.