Do I Really Need to X-ray My Daughters Arm Again? Any Doctors Out There?

HI, I spent a semester in Radiology before switching to Nursing, and I just wanted to share what I picked up with pediatric orthopedics.

Kids break bones easier than adults, they break in ways that are different than adults, they heal differently too. Alot of breaks/fractures can be set vs. needing pins and surgery. An XRAY just gives the doc better info on the integrity of the bone, so that he/she can reposition the bone(s) for it to heal on its own.

I know you probably already know this. But XRAY give good information, and the dose is so low that having 3 done in 6 months is, BY FAR, NOT HARMFUL.

There is a small wrist bone that is commonly broken, also the medial styloid process of the ulna commonly breaks too. It could also be a ligament attaching the ulna to the wrist bones. But XRAYs will tell you this.

Hope this helps,K.

2 moms found this helpful

A 3rd xray wont hurt her and the things that could go undiagnosed could hurt her. If she ever becomes uninsurable, the state has a program All Kids for uninsured children www.allkids.com

Why are you asking unknown people with unknown qualifications technical questions that they are not equipped to answer???

Find yourself a pediatrician you can really trust and ask her or him.

R. Katz

It sounds like an x-ray would help diagnose the problem. Yes, there's a good reason to minimize exposure to x-rays, but x-rays aimed at the extremities have a much lower *effective* radiation dose than x-rays aimed at the head or torso. So as long as she is well covered with a lead apron while her arm is being zapped she should be ok. Just ask the technician to take extra care to cover her reproductive organs especially well. I would be much more concerned if you said she was getting repeated chest x-rays - her arm should be ok.

How long has she been complaining of the pain this time? If it still hurts just as bad or more than the original day of injury and it is now more than 4 or 5 days since injury I would bring her in to the pediatrician and consider xray after an exam of her wrist and arm if warranted. Hope this helps.
Dr. B.
B. Family Chiropractic

It sounds like your daughter has been playing really hard. Just a question, are you taking her to the same provider each time? If you see someone new each time this could lead to overtesting. Patients that come into the office are only given the tests necessary to diagnose and treat them properly. Did the doctor recommend the x-rays each time they were taken, or did you request them? Let your provider know her past history with injury and radiation. If her presentation warrents an x-ray, then you may want to get one. This is by no means medical advice, just a thought process.
Dr. J. Aardema
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Family Chiropractor

sorry but get the x ray. My daughter too hurt her wrist or arm and only could tell by x ray and she was fine unless it wa touched in a certain spot but if not casted would have left to surgery and other problems. It wa a small break and I didnt even want to cast it for the summer etc but even this tiny thing since it was a different kind of break not a hairline fracture something else could ahve popped though her skin if left untreated.
sorry good luck
J.

I would. I had a serious injury that was only caught by an x-ray.

I'm not a doctor by any means...and since you are a little hesitant not to take her back for xrays....I would maybe wait a couple days to see how she does. Sometimes "jumping the gun" on injuries,is a common thing, especially while playing sports.

My daughters are BIG basketball players. Especially my oldest, she plays on 1 traveling team , 2 high school feeder teams, and will be doing our school team come Septemeber. She sometimes plays against BIG Highschoolers or even BIG girls in her own division. (she is going into 7th grade) They play tough, rough, and there is constant body contact that goes on while driving into the basket. She has had her share of injuries. I have learned to wait a couple days to see how she does, instead of running to the ER everytime she gets hurt. (obviously for really bad injuries we go in). Recently she twisted her ankle so bad, I swore she broke it, she couldn't walk on it at all! Still turned out to just be a bad sprain, and although I felt better knowing...I hated spending the 5 hrs. in ER and the money...to be told it was sprained. In hines sight, I should have waited till the next day, because it was already feeling better by then....I would have saved a trip if I just waited a day. I would have made a different decision.

Now in your daughter's case, due to the fact that you feel she might be a little overly sensitive to pain. (which does legitimately happen but is a little misfortunate when you have a child in sports)I personally would wait 2 days. If it still hurts JUST as bad or worse, or there is some sort of swelling or she can't pick anything up...then take her in. If she seems to still be doing some common activity, or is actually getting a bit better...then wait it out. I do know there are tiny bones in the wrist, and they do break easily, BUT a lot of time, sprains mimic possible broken bones. Sometimes hurting even worse.

I don't think you should totally put it off, and if you are really concerned then take her in right away. But, if you are a little hesitant, (especially with her maybe low threshold for pain) then wait a little and see how she does. Even though she won't use the hand, really pay attention and see if she does little movements here and there that probably wouldn't be possible if she had broken it.

I don't know, I'm probably not much help. Just thought I'd give my opinion from a mom who has three daughters that play competitive sports and get injuries similar to your daughter.

Good Luck

p.s. I just reread your comment. I would think that if her forearm hurts and not even her wrist, it's probably just a sprain. If you put your wrist back, you feel the pull of the muscle on your forearm. Imagine it being pulled back hard, it would pull that forearm muscle too. I would bet on just a sprain after re reading what you posted. I would definetly just keep an eye on her, especially since it's not even her wrist that hurts.

As a person who is an xray technologist, if you feel you might have to do it again. Make sure the technologist performing the xrays put a shield over her lap to protect her reproductive organs.