Children and Injuries

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Children fall and get injured. While not every injury means a trip to the emergency room, the injury should be taken seriously until you know exactly what is happening to your child.  Children with minor fractures don’t always have pain and swelling and sometimes no bruising. In fact, most of the fractures that children get are not complete fractures.  The first day you might use ice and watch the injury and give the child Tylenol or Ibuprofen.  However, the injury usually presents itself one to two weeks out because the child is still having pain.  If there is pain, the injury needs to be looked at even if there is no swelling or bruising.  If there is pain the next day or difficulty sleeping that night, then it is probably something that needs to be looked within the next day or two.

When should you see an orthopedic specialist?  Children have open growth plates and therefore a minor fracture may not show on an x-ray. Many times primary care physicians or emergency facilities diagnose the problem as a sprain when it may actually be a growth plate fracture.  If it is reinjured while there is a growth plate fracture, there could potentially be permanent damage to that growth plate.

There is one more thing that could help your child.  Each year your child has a school physical and should be check for hearing, vision and scoliosis. A scoliosis test is where the child is asked to bend over so that the curvature of the spine can be viewed.  Ask your doctor to test for scoliosis every year whether your child’s back is straight or not.  Most cases can be treated without surgery especially if caught early.

David M. Wallace, D.O. practices nonsurgical orthopedics, sports medicine, and osteopathic manual medicine at OakBend Medical Group.  He treats a wide variety of injuries and conditions, ranging from tennis elbow to chronic arthritis and takes patients 4 years of age and older. To find out more about Dr. Wallace log onto oakbendmedicalgroup.com or call 281-633-4940 for an appointment.