No cast needed for my daughter's broken arm?

Question

My 9 year old broke her humerus just below her shoulder. It was a clean break, apparently where a cyst was growing in the bone.

The doctor (presumably an expert based on the fact that she was cared for at a children's only hospital) put her in a sling for four weeks, with a follow-up visit at that time with additional x-rays.

Is this semi-common? I always assumed a cast was in order for broken bones. I do know bones will heal themselves, but will it set itself like that?

Interesting. I hope they don't have to "re-break" it if she goes back in a month and it hasn't fused correctly.

Answer 1

Below the shoulder you cannot cast. You would have to immobolize the whole arm to ensure perfect healing. Now because it was a clean brake it should be fine in just the sling. If the doc said it would heal fine then believe him. If yo come back and it didnt heal or is worse. Sue him for mal practice.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

What the doctor did is really the only way to help heel a broken shoulder like this. My grandmother fell and broke the ball of her humerus. She didn't get a cast because this type of cast doesn't help imobile the shoulder. It seems cruel but once you think about it seems like the only option. Since she is a child and children are always growing her bone should heal fine, even though she will have a difficult time during the healing process.

My grandmother's never healed due to the fact that she was 62 years old at the time, being a bad diabetic, and oesto as well. She needed surgery to help heal the break but the doctor refused to do it because of the risks. The only thing holding her bones together is scar tissue.

But, like I said, your daughter is 9 years old and should heal fine. I would be concern about the cyst and ask the doctor about it. The cyst might be nothing to worry about-but then again it could be. I hope that your daughter gets a quick recovery.

Answer 4

Cast For Broken Arm

Answer 5

No one gets a cast for a proximal humerus fracture, no mater what the age. Only a sling or a sling & swath. This is because the muscles of the arm in that area hold the bones ends together very nicely & a cast wouldn't add anything to that at all. Also, if you did cast it the should joint would fuse together--very bad! It wouldn't stay in place (the cast) anyway at that level. So you are being treated according to standard of care. The other option in a very bad break is a metal plate etc.

Answer 6

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RE:
No cast needed for my daughter's broken arm?
My 9 year old broke her humerus just below her shoulder. It was a clean break, apparently where a cyst was growing in the bone.

The doctor (presumably an expert based on the fact that she was cared for at a children's only hospital) put her in a sling for four weeks, with a follow-up visit...

Answer 7

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Not everyone responds to pain meds in the same way, especially people who have a high tolerance for pain. If I were you, I would call her doctor, tell him/her what you wrote here and ask if he/she thinks she may need a different pain med? For me personally, codeine gives me some relief from pain, but it also speeds up my heart rate, makes me jittery and keeps me wide awake. IMO, sometimes people worry too much about the addictive components of pain meds and forgot that there is a purpose for using them ....... just like in your daughter's case. They're for short term use and as long as people use them with that mindset there is no reason to suffer when there is a solution. Poor baby, she has every reason to be in excruciating pain and I hope it will just be a matter of a different medication.

Answer 8

It's a new thing. Medicine is advancing. Same with my teamate from my baseball team. He broke his hand, and doctors said it's better without a cast on so hand can breathe.

Answer 9

Sometimes putting a cast on can be worse than just letting it be, if she broke her humerus where yo said she did and it needed to be put in a cast she would have one that would possibly immobilize that entire side of her body.

Answer 10

Since she is so young she probably has a greenstick fracture, which means that it hasn't broken all of the way through the bone. The unbroken part of the bone will hold it in place, and children heal very quickly.