When do broken bones become a medical concern?

[Brokenforsummer]

My child has had 3 arm fractures in 3 years. I was present at all of them so I don’t have any safe guarding concerns but should I be concerned about her bone density?

Dc1 had 2 breaks in a year aged 2, it took me till aged 5 to get medical staff to listen (had other symptoms too). Was diagnosed with refractory coeliac disease. Now on right medication/feeding regime is thriving but it was difficult to be listened too.

My daughter (now in her late 20s) had multiple breaks as a child and several serious ligament damages. She is hyper mobile and also just unlucky!

Have Vitamin D tested. This can also affect bones, and is often a culprit in a lot of breaks when nothing else seems to explain them. Vitamin D is cumulative so it is not something that you test for, treat with supplements for a short while and then all is well. People need it every day. If one has a history of deficiency, you must also consider diet and exposure to sunlight because those are the best ways to get it. And finally, it may feel wrong, but people that are darker skinned can actually be more prone to it because the natural melanins that protect them more so from the affects of the sun, also block the ability for the body to get it more easily that way. Red heads are unique in that their bodies will actually produce some Vitamin D.

I guess it depends what she was doing during the fractures?

It's quite a lot, but if for example she was playing rugby then it's not that unusual. How old is she?

What is refractory coeliac disease pleased? She has been screened for coeliacs before due to reflux.

@ninjahamster I’m hoping this is the case.

@anitarielleliphe vitamin D was checked last year and was fine.

Have they flagged it to you as unusual? Does she eat sufficient dairy, fish, mixed veg and fruits etc?

Usually yes but not in the last couple of months. She has actually lost weight, believed to be due to anxiety issues. The weight loss issue is post the first two breaks.

I’ve asked a GP I know socially and she said if it was her patient she would be concerned.

I guess for me it would depend on the mechanism of action for each of the breaks. Were any in circumstances where the break was a surprise? Were they in similar situations?

For example if a child fell from the same wall 3 times over 3 years and each time broke their arm it would be less concerning that three completely different situations that fall more under simple slips trips and falls.

Some kids are more accident prone than others my sister was in and out of a and E throughout her childhood but no breaks.
Depending on how the breaks are happening you might want look beyond bone and physical health. If they are falling an unusual amount it might be a balance or dyspraxic type things going on.
I think I'd probably start by collating details of the breaks and also other similar incidents.