Photos! How is this not a fracture? Any orthopods/ortho nurses around?

[lborgia]

My son had a confrontation with a chair a month ago. Really nasty bruising, very tender, but still walking, playing football in the park etc. Whined every morning when putting his sock on.

Still can't decide if I'm the worst mother ever, but he screams at a hang nail so I did not give it priority.

I realised it had been more than three weeks and there was still purple bruising, still tender. ..although very localised and much better. Gp sent for x-ray. Radiologist says there's no fracture. There's something. What is it?

I can absolutely see a hairline fracture

Thank you! Are you an hcp? Given that he has been walking around for this long, would there be any treatment other than to avoid contact sports and being a prat?

I'm a health care assistant on EAU, so no I'm not qualified to diagnose anything, but that's clear as day.
I would take him back.

I don't see a fracture on the pictures provided here. Is the concern about the faint white line? If so, fractures show on x-rays as lucent (i.e. grey/black) lines rather than dense (i.e. white) lines. It doesn't breach the outer part of the bone and so couldn't really represent a fracture even if it was a lucency. It looks like a normal bone marking to me but maybe someone cleverer will come along in a minute to give it a name!

Is your son better now?

Harris lines they look like. It's not a hairline fracture as previous op said they appear grey on the X-ray.

Sounds like he's maybe damaged his tendons or something which can take awhile to heal too. Hope he is better soon.

This is what a break looks like

Thank you everyone, knowing about colours etc is useful as breaks seem to be a part of having 2 boys!

He is fine, just pain if it is touched (still keeps his sock rolled down.

It could be a bone bruise. I had one in my foot and there was some concern that I'd broken some bones.

Not a fracture - the clue is that it doesn't extend to the outside of the bone. Our bones have markings like that all over them.

Ha! Have the answer if anyone is interested or wants to add to their knowledge base. It's vascular channel fracture, meaning the fracture is just the inner core. .no treatment of course, but told to avoid contact sports pissing around for a couple more weeks. Especially impt as it seems the girls at school like to kick shins and also whack you behind the knees to make you fall over. Ds seems to think it's hilarious so I suppose it's like pulling pigtails?

Where did the information come from? It's not something I've ever heard of and I'm still none the wiser after consulting Professor Google.

Sometimes little nutrient arteries ("vascular channels" maybe?) can look like fractures but, again, they show up as grey rather than white.

I still prefer the previous suggestion of Harris lines.

Looks like Harris growth arrest line.

IT IS NOT A FRACTURE.

Step away from google and unless somebody has a qualification in diagnosing X-rays then they will not know.

Glad you got a 2nd opinion.
We're still dealing with the fallout of X-ray being misdiagnosed.

When did I say it came from Google it came from the head of trauma at a teaching hospital..

I'm nit convinced by the Harris line theory, it's a very long way from the growth zones, is a single line and it is EXACTLY where the shin got smacked. (Seeing as we are using CAPS)..

Thanks for all contributions. I wasn't looking for definitive answers from mn, just perplexed ams looking for ideas.

It's not a fracture

Is the head of trauma at the teaching hospital a radiologist or reporting radiographer specialising in musculoskeletal-skeletal trauma? I bet they're not...

I'm always amused by the number of department heads or senior consultants MNers seem to have seen when they have been challenged.

Never heard a consultant referred to as senior or junior... let us know what the head of trauma is OP?

I don't have access to a radiologist, but I asked a friend in a "do I worry about this or just send him to school as per usual" way, and she got in touch with a colleague. We all work at the same hospital, we're not in the UK, and funnily enough we all give each other help when possible.

I didn't say they were senior or junior, don't be daft. I'm happy that he was kind enough to call said friend the other morning with some advice having seen the images.

He might be wrong, but the radiologist WAS wrong to say there was NOTHING there at the point of impact.

I don't CARE if Dr G is wrong or right, I do care that he saw something and suggested that if it was his son he would be keeping him away from contact sports etc for a few days even though it happened 3 weeks earlier.

Good GRIEF! I asked for advice. Sod off with the sanctimony and " I find it so amusing" - makes you sound like a pompous twat.

Having dealt with a child having a nasty tumour, and having the correct consultant ignore the symptoms for 2 years, I no longer trust either their opinion (or mine) at face value, if there are symptoms/ observable facts that don't support their view.