Everything You Need to Know About Arm Fractures in Children

The forearm is present between the elbow and the wrist. It is mainly composed of two main bones, i.e., ulna and radius. Among kids, forearms are a common and essential part of the child’s body. As many as 40 per cent of the kid’s fracture happen in the forearm part. 3 out of 4 total fractures also occur in between the radius and wrist part of the forearm.

When children participate in some sports or outdoor events, they do come across forearm fractures. Sometimes while play, kids fall either on an outstretched arm or on a tumble, resulting in the fracture. The bones of kids heal rapidly as compared to adult but as soon as a child gets hurt, it is better to start the healing process to avoid any further child arm fractures in future.

Studying the Anatomy of Arm Fracture Amongst Children

The anatomy of the forearm is such it is made up of two main bones, i.e., ulna and radius. The placement of Ulna is on the finger side which is pinky whereas the radius is present on the thumb side of the hand. Normally growth plates are present on the cartilaginous area on the longer portion of the adolescent and children bones. The growth of the bone starts from the growth plate rather than from the centre portion. The bone structure becomes harder and mature with a growing child. Also, the growth plates become solid and hard bones. Similarly, growth plates are present on both sides of the ulna and radius.

Why Do Fractures in the Forearm Occur?

There could be several reasons for the fracture. For me, the root cause of the fracture is Children being children. Kids love to play, jump, tumble, hop, skipe and run around all day long. They never sit or function in one position for long. They need to do different activities, all around which can cause them to fall, hit or sometimes hurt them. In literature, the forearm fracture occurs due to the following reasons:

1. When kids fall on a hard floor with an outstretched arm
2. When a child falls on his/her forearm directly
3. When there is a direct blow to the forearm of a child

Symptoms of a Forearm Fracture

In the case of forearm fracture in children, the following happens:

1. There is severe pain in the damaged and affected arm.
2. Sometimes it starts with numbness, or severe pain and any potential sign of injury in a nerve.
3. There could also be redness around the area or some swelling.
4. The affected area could be deformed or develop some lump.
5. When a child finds it hard to move their arm.

If there is any chance your child has a fracture, you need to be very careful, so it doesn’t get worse, or the skin doesn’t irritate. Since kids bones heal immediately, thus posture of a child should be kept intact so it doesn’t go away. With constant monitoring and care, the child can get back to all normal activities. The broken arm can well be managed and restored with utmost care.