20 Jul Children fall frequently when they are learning to walk or when they are learning a new activity.

Children fall frequently when they are learning to walk or when they are learning a new activity.
It is not uncommon that parents tend to make light of a fall so as to not frighten a child from getting up and trying again. However, every now and then, there will be that one fall that you brushed off which ended up as a major injury like a broken bone discovered a few days later! 
Here at My Favourite Physio, we often see lots of babies and children who come in with a broken bone following a fall and parents would say that they weren’t sure if it was a serious fall because their child only cried for a little bit and then stopped and didn’t complain of pain after that. BUT 3 to 5 days later, they realise that their child is still not walking or moving normally, and that is when they go to the Family Doctor or a Paediatric Physiotherapist and a diagnosis of a broken bone is made. 

So here are 3 Key Signs that indicate that a child has sustained a broken bone from a fall:
1. If your child is not willing to stand on their leg or is limping after a fall, it usually indicates that they are sustained a serious injury like a broken bone or a major sprain to the ligaments and some tissue. Similarly, if your child falls on their arm and is not willing for you to touch their arm or holds their arm awkwardly avoiding use of it, then it’s an indication that they have sustained a broken bone. 
2. If there is swelling in their knee, ankle or foot following a fall then it is likely that they have sustained a major injury like a torn ligament and possibly a broken bone as well.
3. If there is bruising in the joint following a fall, then it is an indication that they have sustained a broken bone. The bruising will often travel down below the joint into the foot. Bruising is usually immediate after a bone is broken, although sometimes the initial yellowish green is missed by parents.

If your child is limping following a fall, or is still struggling to recover from a broken bone, reach out to My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today.