Fractured elbow..?

Question

I was playing soccer with my friend and fell and my wrist instantly hurt very bad and my elbow hurt to but not as bad as my wrist.Later on that night we went to the E.r. and they took 3 x-rays of my wrist and 4 of my elbow.When the doctor came back she said that I had a fat pad sign and there could be a posible fracture.I go back to the doctor on monday.Do you know how long i would have to wear a cast and what kind of cast if it is a fracture? thank you

Answer 1

Hard to say. A "fat pad" sign on an elbow xray makes the doctor worry that there is a fracture in the elbow that s/he cannot see. If it's one kind of fat pad, then fracture is just a possibility, if it's the other kind of fat pad, then fracture is a near certainty.

Generally, elbow fractures that show only a fat pad sign are small and can be treated without surgery. A cast to immobilize the elbow and wrist is often used and it's often left in place for 4-6 weeks.

I'm GUESSING that the initial doctor saw the kind of fat pad that suggests the presence of fracture. If this is the case, then when you go back to the doctor in a few days, they'll re-examine your elbow and possibly do more xrays. If it hurts the same as it did today, then they'll likely conclude that it WAS fractured and cast you. If it's much better at the time of the re-examination, they'll likely conclude that it was just a bad bruise/sprain and will skip the cast.

Delayed xrays can sometimes help - a fracture in the elbow that couldn't be seen on the initial xray can sometimes be evident on an xray done several days later.