Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Broken leg - how to support ds

47 replies

prettybird · 23/02/2009 09:03

8 days skiing: not a problem. First day back at school (last Thursday) and ds (8) plays football at lunch time and breaks his leg!

He has a spiral fracture of his tibia and is in a plaster from his foot to his thigh

So far he has just been spending his time on the sofa and has only really used his crutches (wth lots of persuasion) to get to the loo and back - and last night when we went to Mum & Dad's for dinner, to get around there (from the dining table to/from the bedroom where the computer was).

He is really not confident using the crutches and demands that one of us is beside/behind him all the time. He is terrified of putting any wieght on the broken leg.

How do we help enourage him? He can't really go back to school until he is more confident on the crutches.

Fortunately the school is really supportive and will provide whatever help we need. It's all on one level as well, which will make things easier. (However, he wn't be able to go to out-of-school club as it is quite a walk away up a hill and also has lots of steps )

OP posts:
Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 09:49

Anybody got any expereince on how to help a lively 8 year old cope with the crutches and the frustration?

OP posts:
Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 11:57

Does anyone have any experience? The school has said that he really needs to be able to tget to the loo on his own - but at the moment he is not confident. Any idea of how long it takes to get proficient with crutches?

OP posts:
kitbit · 23/02/2009 12:04

Can your hospital help? Show him some techniques and give him some confidence? Poor little soul

BCNS · 23/02/2009 12:10

we had this when ds1 disclocated 2 toes.. breaking one of them in the process and having pins put in to hold it altogether!! he was 10 at the time.

it shouldn't take too long before your mouth is in your heart because he's whizzing about on the crutches!

but you could talk with your practise nurse who might have some good ideas..

best thing that we did for ds was to get his mates round.. they sat about with him a bit.. but then wanted to get on with things.. and told him to come with them.. peer pressure and all that worked wonders!

also picking up school work for him to do at home is very boring and he'll want to be back in the class asap.. so that's a good encouragement also.

hope he's okay tho

Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 12:13

The hospital isn't due to see him again for 4 weeks!

Dh is taking him to Toys R Us today though to get hima tamagitchi that he has been promised - so that should enourage him to make an effort on the crutches!

OP posts:
BCNS · 23/02/2009 12:16

ohh quick after thought.. get him some gel/padded cycle gloves ( the grippy sort so he doesn't slip).. it'll stop his hands getting so sore on the crutches.

Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 12:18

I'm hoping we will soon be worrying about the speed that he reach on his crutches!

The other problme we have is that we live on the first floor and although the stairs are wide, there is no bannister Ds' room is one floor further up, up a narrow truning stiar case, so for the moment he has bee sleeping on the couch. We've now borroed a camp bed so that he can sleep in our bed room, so at least we can have some time to ourselves in the evening.

OP posts:
Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 12:20

Good idea BCNS. He can use them afterwards for his cycling.

OP posts:
BCNS · 23/02/2009 12:21

.. ds went up and down stairs on his bum, if that helps. took him a while but he did it LOL..

bless all of you.. horrid thing to go through.

feetheart · 23/02/2009 12:21

Might not be much help with 8 year olds but I'm 2 weeks in with 3 year old DS with exactly the same break!

He is usually a VERY active little boy but for the first 7-10 days he just wanted to lie on the sofa and watch TV/videos. He is also not one to make a fuss about anything hurting (unlike drama queen DD ) but has been in a lot of pain, especially when his leg is vertical.

Apparantly crutches are really hard to get on with at the beginning as there is a real knack to them. DS is actually too young for them and has a walking frame. He's not too keen on using it at the moment (he still seems very unsure/worried that he might fall) but is perfecting the bottom-shuffling/crawling technique! We are just letting him dictate the pace at the moment.

Not sure if any of it helps but if you want any 'broken-leg Mum's support' I'm in

feetheart · 23/02/2009 12:26

Has anyone told you about Limbo yet?
It was a MN recommendation when I posted for help 2 weeks ago and has been great so far.
Not expensive and fantastic service - got it next day.

Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 13:04

Hadn't thought habout the stairs on his bum - how obvious!

It's actually how he used to up and down staris when he was wee (we never had stair gates).

feetheart - my dad, on seeing the print-out of the x-ray (we had asked for it as dad used to be a paediatric radiologist) - said it was a nice clean break - but that it is often a break that is associated with non-accidetnal injuries! Fortunately it happened at school !

My dad did also to say to ask the hospital (the "ordinary" A&E rather than specialist children's hopstial) if the "growth plate" had been affected/damaged as it look as if the break extended to it. He said that it is rare that it is damaged - but if it is, it can cause later problems with differential growth, that can be averted if it is spotted early on. He sadi that clinicians used to lookin at adult x-rays/breaks may not think to consider the growth plate.

OP posts:
BCNS · 23/02/2009 13:08

to right about the growth plate.. sadly ds smashed his up.. and now has a shorter big toe! ( did it when he was 10.. is now almost 14).. there wasn't a lot they could do about it.. and we were just happy the saved his toe tbh.!

Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 13:32

BCNS. At least it was just his toe!

Ds is really worried about his sports: he plays both football and rugby and is always running around.

Hopefully he won't get too addicited to the TV, x-box and nintendo ds while he is couch bound!

OP posts:
BCNS · 23/02/2009 16:32

don't worry too much about the sports.. ds was back at a judo grading and then a competition 2 weeks after the all clear!

but the hospital will tell you everything you need to know when your at your appointments

Original poster
prettybird · 23/02/2009 17:05

Good to know. It'll not be me who will be taking ds - it'll be dh. We're a role swap family: I'm the one working full time and dh is the one trying to set up a buisness/study/look after the house in between coping with crises like ds' latest escapade!

OP posts:
Blu · 23/02/2009 17:35

Prettybird - my DS, 7, has been using crutches for months so we are old hands!

Crutches can be v scary - in fact DS slipped using his and broke his ankle (aaaargh!!) so I can understand his caution.

Was he given any help on how to use them? You could ask to see the community physio, or call the Fracture clinic and ask if you can see the department physio - they are really good at techniques to help people use crutches securely. The other possibility is a walking frame instead of crutches. DS uses one of these at school because the chances of being knocked over are much less. DS's frame is bright green.

DS currently has a thigh length plaster - he goes up and down stairs on his bottom, or goes up sort of on all fours - facing the stairs but with his hands down.

Definitley get a LIMBO cover - look on ther website and see whether the standard covers will fit his measurements, if not they do made-to-measure at no extra cost, and it still arrives the next day! He can bath and swim in a Limbo.

Has he been given a plaster show to wear over the plaster? Casts are v slippery and he won't feel confident unless he has a non-slip plaster shoe.

At his least mobile DS has played indoor beach ball, badminton (he sits on sofa and we use a light shuttlecock), wii is good because it is so physical with arms, when friends come round I set them up on the kitchen table with lego construction etc - anything to cut down screen-based entertainment, he is learning guitar.....try and keep him busy with things he CAN do rather than fret about what he can't.

Blu · 23/02/2009 17:36

I meant to say - the physios supplied DS's walking frame.

alicecrail · 23/02/2009 17:39

I broke my leg when pg and it was very painful for about 2 weeks but after that i found it a lot easier to get around. Do you think it hurts when its down? As that was my problem

Marne · 23/02/2009 17:44

I broke my ankle when i was 10, it took me a week to be able to use my crutches and i spent a lot of time scooting around on my bum. Get him going up and down the stairs on his bum. Could he not use a wheel chair at school (if the school is adapted for this)?

feetheart · 24/02/2009 06:44

prettybird - thanks for the info about the growth plate, I'll ask next time we are at the clinic. DS was younger than all the others there by at least 20 years!
Interesting about the NAI as well as DS's break was caused when he and DH were messing about and he landed badly (DS happily tells EVERYONE that 'Daddy dropped me'). Had been told that a call from SS was standard practice but haven't had one yet!
Also good to hear from others that it takes about 2 weeks for the pain to get better as that has been our experience. We are now 17 days in and DS is MUCH happier and MUCH more mobile.

Original poster
prettybird · 24/02/2009 08:57

Blu - thanks for that info. We'll see if we can get in touch with the physios. He doesn't have a plaster shoe - but at the moment is not letting that leg touch the ground at all so it isn't too much of an issue.

A walking frame or a wheel chair might be easier around the school. We're fortunate in that the school itslef is all on one level and is suitable for diabled access. It's also a relatively small school (only c.200), of which only half normally use ds' side of the school (the P5-7s use a different entrance) so there isn't too much of a cruch of kids.

Ironically, his class topic for this term was "Disabilites". Apparently, his teacher brought forward part of the disucssion on Friday and asked the class to come up with exmaples of the difference between permanently disabled and temporarily disabled. Needless to say, the entire class put their hands up to say that ds was an example of "temporarily disabled" . They are also all working on ideas on how to make like easier for him

We've been given leaflets for the Limbo covers. As he's only ue to be in the cast for 4 weeks, we may just leave it and give him sponge baths.

OP posts:
feetheart · 24/02/2009 10:03

Don't want to sound discouraging on the time in plaster but initially we were told 3-4 weeks in total. At fracture clinic on Friday we were told another 2 weeks in full leg cast (making 4 weeks) then 2-4 weeks in a below-the-knee one if all was well! Friend who is a children's nurse said 6-8 weeks for a leg break is normal.
Limbo was only £11 including P&P (for age 3 size) and has been well worth it so far just to have another activity to do with DS!! I am now so confident that it works that we are going to a swimming party on Saturday-eek!

Had to smile at school doing 'disabilities' this term. DS is going back to pre-school on Thursday and I think the staff are lining up to do their NVQ disability stuff with him

Tell your DH that as the main carer I found the first 2 weeks really hard. Both seeing your child in a lot of pain and going back to him being so reliant on me was very hard. So much so that I have started running (and I have always HATED running!) I just needed some 'head space' and a few endorphins to make things a bit easier.

Original poster
prettybird · 24/02/2009 10:18

Feetheart -we are keeping ds' expecatations realistic re the time in plaster.

However, dad said last night that if they said 4-6 weeks in plaster, and having seen that the break is "clean", it should be healed in 3 - with an extra week for safety before checking.

I also know that I "re-mineralise" very easily (as in I grow calcium spots on my contact lenses and my teeth can "fix" minor cavities) and apparently dh's family is the same - so hopefully ds has inherited that from us!

Money isn't the isse re the limbo - it's just that we know that it is a struggle getting ds into a bath at the best of times (even though once he is in, he loves it) - so it might be a fight we just don't bother having.

OP posts:
MarmadukeScarlet · 24/02/2009 10:26

I was about to post re the limbo products too.

I cannot advise in any helpful way, DS (then 3.5) had both legs in plater for 8 weeks last year to correct a foot (positional) problem. He had a a reverse walker (like a zimmer frame on wheels that goes behind you)and sprinted everywhere. Perhaps contact Paeds Physio at local hospital and see if you could borrow one of these? DS could also walk in them without any support but then he is a stubborn little bugger.

Has your DS been taught how to use crutches? Can be tricky to get the hang of it.

Good luck.

Swipe left for the next trending thread