serious injury question

[cvala]

Hello. I will be taking my son to the ER as soon as my husband gets home but I wanted to ask a question. Has any of you ever heard of breaking your leg but still being able to move all of your joints? Last night my 2 year old son decided to jump off of the ladder of a bunk bed halfway down and I think his foot got caught between the rung of the ladder and the rail of the bed. He had a pretty nasty bruise on his shin and wouldn't walk on it. I made him move his knee, his ankle, and his toes which he did fine. So thinking it was just fresh and painful we went to sleep. This morning when my son got out of bed, he immediately hit the floor because he still couldn't walk on his leg. I tried to get him to walk on it for me but as soon as he tries to put weight on it he falls to the ground. He can stand on his knees just fine so I know that the problem is below the knee. I'm going to be taking him to the ER in a little while, but I just wanted to see if any of you had heard of this happening and it turning out to be a break?

[Jayney]

I've never had a broken bone, but I do know that the worst thing that you can do is move it. I did some research online and a lot of websites said that kids often don't even realize when they break a bone. Good luck, definitely take him to the ER.

[alisha.koch]

If it's the shin, there are two bones in there: the tibia and the fibia. If he broke one and not the other, it is possible that the muscles are anchored enough on the one that is not broken to move the joints a bit.
If it's chipped or cracked, but not all the way through, it's possible for him to maintain movement, albeit painful.

Not being able to walk is serious. And a bruise so serious he couldn't bear weight should always be seen to make sure it does not clot, or the bone has not been cracked/chipped.
I suggest you call a friend and take your son in NOW. Unless your husband is leaving for work as you type, its better to hit the ER sooner versus later, and get your son the treatment he needs.

In the medical field, we always consider life/limb/eyesight when we determine the severity of an injury. If there is risk to, or potential risk to, or inability to use the last two of any (and especially all) of the three... we refer them to emergency medical services.

But please don't feel guilty if it is broken. I have a friend who's non-dominant wrist was broken for three days. His parents didn't realize it because he just put his hand in his pocket and only used his dominant hand. When his Mom asked him to use two hands to grab something and he dropped it immediatly, she noticed the deformity in his wrist and took him in.
Kids will fall, they commonly hurt themselves. It's kind of their MO. =)

Best wishes!

[Lillith's_Mommy]

When I broke my wrist the 2nd time I was able to move my fingers and even the wrist itself.

[cvala]

Thanks guys. After 5 hours in the ER, we found out that his x-rays are negative. The fact that he can't walk on it concerned them so they think it's probably a "toddler" fracture which is just a fracture that can't be seen on x-ray because it's so small. They put him in a splint for 10 days and then he has to go see an orthopaedic doctor to remove the splint and recheck the injury. I'm so grateful that it wasn't any worse. Thanks again for the replies!