Broken Heel , Go to the ER ?

I would ice it, give him some Ibuprofen for the swelling, and wait a day. If it's swollen, they might tell you they can't even x-ray it until the swelling is down anyway. If it hurts, he won't walk on it and damage it more. A good lesson for not stomping when he's having a tantrum...

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Personally... I would

- elevate
- ice
- tylenol + ibuprofen

&

- wait for tomorrow

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I have to side with Dana.. More than likely his heel is very bruised.. I did this once and it took months for it to feel better.. Of course being in retail on a cement floor everyday did not help.. The doctor sent me for an xray and everything.

Maybe take him to a walk in place tomorrow.

My doctor had me purchase really good heel pads from a store that specialized in good footwear for people with foot and leg pains.. It helped.. FYI, It took about 6 months for that heel not to hurt..

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hi JJ :-)

Well... as has been recommended, your son's heel needs immediate attention with regard to ice and elevation. I also agree that taking him to a walk in clinic would be a reasonable and more efficient way to address it medically on this Thanksgiving day!

I have found that "arnica" is a wonderful homeopathic that helps the body with inflammation, which a natural response to trauma.

This seems like a GREAT time to use this whole event as a "learning tool" for your son. At age 6, he should be able to make the connection between action and reaction... cause and effect.... so helping him understand how his temper tantrum ended up actually hurting himself instead of helping him obtain whatever it is he was trying to achieve.. is counter productive... and painful! :-)

Please let us know what the doctor says about his heel. Hopefully it is a sprain instead of a break and wrapping, ice and elevation will be on the menu for today!

hugs,
A. www.amyfreundbodytalk.com

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I broke my heel 2 years ago and it was so painful that I was on bedrest and painkillers! I still haven't fully recovered. The heel is the largest bone in the foot and it takes an extreme amount of pressure to break. Heel fractures are more common with construction workers falling off ladders, roofs, etc or car accidents rather than stomping and kicking, but you never know.

Like the others said, ice and elevation first. Take him to urgent care tomorrow if it is still not better. I doubt it is fractured but it doesn't hurt to check.

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If my child was injured and I did not know the extent of it (drama or not), I would not hesitate to go to an urgent care facility.

We never compromise on health and safety.

What if something is broken and a possible surgery is needed?? I think my cooking could wait.

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It sounds similar to a "stone bruise" my dad had in his heel many years ago! Back then, it took a shot of cortizone (think that's the one) up thru the heel ...

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I would take him to a walk in clinic, not the emergency room, I think it will be less expensive. I think they can x-ray it there and then send you on if it is broken. I dont imagine it is broken from a tantrun , probably just a sprain but it is worth checking out.. Hope things turn out ok Mom.

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I broke my heel about 20 years ago, it was extremely painful, they say it is the most painful bone that you can break! 20 years later, I still have problems in that heel. I say, take him to the ER and get the X-rays and make sure that he does not have a serious injury. Waiting and delaying treatment can cause further problems.

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When my son broke his arm and my daughter broke her leg, I knew immediately that it was broken; they immediately started crying like I had never heard them before and were inconsolable. And when I broke my toe both times, I had immediate (intense) pain and swelling.

Since your son didn't have any swelling or pain until this morning and he doesn't sound like he is in acute pain, I am wondering if he actually has a pretty bad contusion or the like on his heel. If I were you, I would elevate it and ice it to see if you can bring the swelling down. An ace bandage wrapped around the injured area may make it feel a little bit better also. I would also get it checked out by a doctor just to be on the safe side. Since all of the podiastrists are probably taking tomorrow off, you may want to take him over to urgent care but I'd probably wait until tomorrow to do that.

Hope his heel heals soon and that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.

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before you take him in offer him some type of yummy yummy treat that he really likes or some activity he really likes to do and see if he'll walk for it. My youngest hurt himself once and would not walk we took him the to the ER the doctor examined him and then asked him if he wanted a lollipop he jumped off the bed and ran with the doctor to go get one.

edited: If you are going to go to the ER its not necessary for you to go to children's hospital your local ER will do.
Also I know people that have broken bones on weekends, holidays, and at night and had to go back during normal hours to have it set at least thats how the hospitals around here are. If it was me I'd probably call and ask if its broken if it will be able to be set today instead of wasting my entire day in the ER just to find out I have to go back Friday or Monday.

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It's my guess that he probably has a deep tissue bruise. I have broken things and it's usually evident pretty immediately. I broke my leg and within minutes it was swollen 3 times it's normal size and bruised. The pain was so intense that I vomitted.
I went to the emergency room and confirmed that my leg was broken, but it was too swollen for 5 weeks to have a cast on it. I had a plaster splint that I had to remove for elevating and icing. So, even though the doctor knew it was broken, there really wasn't anything to do until the swelling went down.

I would give your son some ibuprofin for pain and inflamation, have him keep his foot elevated and keep it iced. It may get better. If not, then I would take him in tomorrow.

Hopefully your son has it figured out that throwing a kicking fit hurts. Maybe he won't try that one again.

I really hope he's all right.

Best wishes.

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I would probably take him in. In the meantime, ice it and elevate it. UGH! I feel your pain. ER on a holiday. YUCK.

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I was a stomper when I was a kid. I can't tell you how many times I bruised my heels. It hurts. I wouldn't think he would have broke it, but I guess if your that concerned take him in.

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I'd take him in. Better safe than sorry. I remember my mom once waited to take my sister in for a broken nose that she didn't think was broken and she ended up having to have surgery to fix it. I know it's not quite the same, but why take the chance? So sorry this is happening on today of all days.

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I wonder if it is just residual pain from stomping so hard but I don't think it is something you want to wait on because it could do more damage.

While I would not take my child to a suburban hospital, how about you go to MedExpress just for a diagnosis? They can xray and determine if there is a break. (Not sure if you can break your heel but I am not a doctor.) If it is a break you could then take your child to Children's for treatment (setting it) etc. Maybe make it clear upfront that you just want a diagnosis. While I do like MedExpress, I still would only want a pediatric orthopedic from Children's giving the treatment because I don't believe one size fits all if you know what I mean.

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

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I would take him, but only because I have good insurance and hate the idea that something may have been wrong and I didnt do anything about it.

Our pediatrician has given us a list of ER's that are good with children so I would take her there, which is the children's hospital around here.

He probably bruised it during his fit. I'd ice it and wait and see what happens. If the swelling isnt gone by Friday noon, take him to prompt care for an xray.