MAG DS fractured his elbow

[2G1B]

UGH! I got a call from the school nurse today. DS fell at recess, landed on his elbow. She was worried it might be broken. I got him in with his orthopedist (from his fractured ankle in the spring). Honestly, I thought that it was just a little beaten up; but still wanted it checked.

Turns out it is a buckle fracture. I'm trying to remember the details... I think it is the bottom of the humerus; but I am not positive.

He is in a cast for just over 3 weeks, then another 2 weeks of restricted activity.

It sounds like if it is going to be broken/fractured that this is the best case scenario. I had worried that if it was broken that he might be out for the season. He is grump about all of the conditioning in his near future; but happy that he should still get to compete the season.

His coach told him that he can't play on the playground anymore. (his ankle was a playground injury too.)

 

[OwlGalLiz]

Uh oh! I am glad it's the "easiest" of breaks, but that still stinks. I hope he recovers quickly.

 

[J&A's mom]

Oh no! I hope he recovers well.

 

[skschlag]

Poor guy! More conditioning. He is going to be the strongest on his team when this is all over. Maybe bubble wrap? Hope he heals quickly!

 

[Seeker]

Ugh, that stinks! I hope he's a fast healer.

I took my DD out of gym this year for that reason and they don't have recess at her school, so I hope she doesn't trip walking down the sidewalk!

 

[profmom]

So sorry to hear this! But thank goodness he didn't dislocate it. I hope it heals quickly and cleanly! But if it's any comfort, DD broke her humerus all the way through with a displacement that required surgery a few years back and was out for three months, but came back very quickly and competed a full season at a higher level than she was when she broke it in April. So even in the worst case scenario, I really hope this is just a bump in the road! All good thoughts.

 

[B&M's mom]

If your doctor isn't an ortho, you may want to have it checked out immediately. My DD felt a popping in her arm and couldn't use her arm. I took her the ER. The ER doc didn't even realize it was broken (was in a hard to see spot) and sent her home in a sling with orders to return in a week if it didn't get better. I called the ortho that we work with immediatly. Turn out my DD broke her elbow (radial head). They didn't cast it and had her start OT immediately. Apparently the elbow tends to lose motion the fastest and if lost, may never totally regain it. We were told that most people don't have any problem with a slight loss of motion in the joint but for gymnasts it can be the end. So she had to wear a sling but do very supervised OT to keep the range of motion.

I'm rather surprised that they casted a buckle fracture as DD also had one of those in her thumb and they just put it in a splint to protect it. The way it was explained was it was a dent in the bone rather than a complete break. You don't want to have it break, hence the need for protection.

 

[2G1B]

We actually went right to the orthopedist rather than going to the ER at all. I knew I didn't want to do urgent care because they missed his broken ankle in the spring and figured I'd try to get in with his orthopedist instead of doing the ER and we lucked up and were able to get an appointment right away.

I looked it up last night and it looks like some doctors have started doing splints for buckle fractures of the arm; but the norm seems to be 3 weeks in a cast.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

If your doctor isn't an ortho, you may want to have it checked out immediately. My DD felt a popping in her arm and couldn't use her arm. I took her the ER. The ER doc didn't even realize it was broken (was in a hard to see spot) and sent her home in a sling with orders to return in a week if it didn't get better. I called the ortho that we work with immediatly. Turn out my DD broke her elbow (radial head). They didn't cast it and had her start OT immediately. Apparently the elbow tends to lose motion the fastest and if lost, may never totally regain it. We were told that most people don't have any problem with a slight loss of motion in the joint but for gymnasts it can be the end. So she had to wear a sling but do very supervised OT to keep the range of motion.

I'm rather surprised that they casted a buckle fracture as DD also had one of those in her thumb and they just put it in a splint to protect it. The way it was explained was it was a dent in the bone rather than a complete break. You don't want to have it break, hence the need for protection.

they casted it because it is an elbow. not the same as the thumb. and not all buckle fractures are equal. it could also be a Salter fracture.

 

[KCHAMP]

Hope it heals fast with no pain! Glad you were able to get in to ortho right away and have it taken care of.

 

[B&M's mom]

That's good then. I was very surprised that my daughter wasn't casted either time but they explained why they weren't. Good luck. I know that even without the cast, it's taken her a while to fully rehab from the break. Hopefully everything will heal quickly!

 

[LilHawkMom]

So sorry that happened to him! At least it is now vs later in the season. Does anyone else worry more about them getting hurt *out* of gymnastics than *in* gymnastics? LOL

 

[sjm2b3]

Hoping for a quick recovery for him!!!

 

[2G1B]

I laughed because after his ankle a friend asked if I might take the kids out of gymnastics since it is a sport with such a high rate of injury. So when he did this yesterday I thought back to that conversation and wondered if people would ever suggest that we not let our kids do anything other than sit on the couch since that is when the trouble seems to start. Our record:

DD #1 - broken nose - at home, ran into DS's head.
DD#1 - 12 stitches in her head - at home - climbing on the back of the couch (when she was 4).
DD #2 - broken finger (possibly, they didn't x-ray since she was 9 months old and there was nothing to do for it) - at home. I shut her finger in a door.
DD #2 - busted nose - fell off the bar on the playground.
DS - broken finger - fell off of the mushroom at gymnastics
DS - broken ankle - playground injury
DS - fractured elbow - playground injury
DD #1 - "tweaked" back - gymnastics injury
DD #2 - *another* busted nose and huge cut on face - fell at the pool
DD #2 - sprained ankle - jumped off of the beam and landed on a matt that was askew, rolled her ankle.
DS - busted nose/cut face - happened skiing when he ran into a stationary object at full speed.

That is all that I can think of for our "major" injuries. Out of 11, 3 have happened at gymnastics (1 per kid). Considering how many waking hours they spend there, I think the gym isn't proving all that dangerous at this point. Just being outside "being a kid" seems to be proving much more dangerous.

 

[KCHAMP]

So sorry that happened to him! At least it is now vs later in the season. Does anyone else worry more about them getting hurt *out* of gymnastics than *in* gymnastics? LOL

OMG - I worry about that all the time - glad it is not just me! I am always amazed at the crazy stuff he can do in the gym and then trip over own feet just walking

 

[level9mom]

It sounds like a best-case scenario. My dd dislocated her elbow and had surgery, six weeks in a cast and eight weeks of restricted activity and physical therapy.

 

[profmom]

Definitely look into some PT once he's out of the cast to help him regain mobility in the joint. DD was splinted, not casted, for three weeks, but it still took her I think about a month to get the elbow back to where it had been before the accident (i.e., a disgusting level of hyperextension). At least it sounds like he didn't have any nerve damage to go along with the break.Whew!

 

[GymBeeMom]

Hopes for fast healing and that he keeps a positive outlook in the interim!

 

[MyBoysFlip]

Hope he heals quickly & makes an easy return! I also worry about DS getting hurt everywhere but the gym. By far his best bruises have come from wrestling- not gym. Up until this year nothing he did at meets scared me but I can't watch him wrestle at all.

 

[happychaos]

they casted it because it is an elbow. not the same as the thumb. and not all buckle fractures are equal. it could also be a Salter fracture.

DD had a Salter Harris fracture of the elbow (very bottom of the humerous) and she was casted for 3 weeks, and in a brace for 2 more. We were told that docs don't like to keep elbows casted very long because they lose range-of-motion very quickly. When DD was in the brace she had stretching exercises to do every day.