Arm Injury

Definition

• Injuries to the arm (shoulder to fingers)
• Injuries to a bone, muscle, joint or ligament
• Muscle pain caused by too much exercise (overuse) is covered in Arm Pain

First Aid for Bleeding:

• Put a gauze pad or clean cloth on top of the wound.
• Press down firmly on the place that is bleeding.
• This is called direct pressure. It is the best way to stop bleeding.
• Keep using pressure until the bleeding stops.
• If bleeding does not stop, press on a slightly different spot.

First Aid for Advice for Suspected Fracture or Dislocation of the Shoulder:

• Use a sling to support the arm. Make the sling with a triangular piece of cloth.
• Or, at the very least, the child can support the injured arm with the other hand or a pillow.

First Aid for Other Suspected Arm Fracture or Dislocation:

• Put the arm, hand, or wrist on a hard splint so it does not move. You can use a small board, magazine folded in half, or folded up newspaper.
• Tie a few cloth strips around arm or joint to keep the splint from moving.
• A second choice is to use a soft splint. Wrap the arm or joint in a soft splint so it does not move. You can use a pillow, a rolled-up blanket, or a towel. Use tape to keep this splint in place.
• Put your child’s injured arm in a sling. If you do not have a sling, have your child support the injured arm with his other hand.

Types of Arm Injuries

• Fractures are broken bones. A broken collarbone is the most common broken bone in children. It’s easy to notice because the collar bone is tender to touch. Also, the child cannot raise the arm upward.
• Dislocations happen when a bone is pulled out of a joint. A dislocated elbow is the most common type of this injury in kids. It’s caused by an adult quickly pulling or lifting a child by the arm. Mainly seen in 1 to 4 year olds. It’s also easy to spot. The child will hold his arm as if it were in a sling. He will keep the elbow bent and the palm of the hand down.
• Sprains – stretches and tears of ligaments
• Strains – stretches and tears of muscles (such as a pulled muscle)
• Muscle overuse from hard work or sports (such as a sore shoulder)
• Muscle bruise from a direct blow
• Bone bruise from a direct blow

Pain Scale

• Mild: Your child feels pain and tells you about it. But, the pain does not keep your child from any normal activities. School, play and sleep are not changed.
• Moderate: The pain keeps your child from doing some normal activities. It may wake him or her up from sleep.
• Severe: The pain is very bad. It keeps your child from doing all normal activities.

Care Advice for Arm Injury

What you should know:

• During sports, muscles and bones get bruised.
• Muscles get stretched.
• Here is some care advice that should help.

Pain Medicine:

• To help with the pain, give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen.
• Ibuprofen works well for this type of pain.
• Use as needed. See Dose Table.

Cold Pack:

• For pain or swelling, use a cold pack. You can also use ice wrapped in a wet cloth.
• Put it on the sore muscles for 20 minutes.
• Repeat 4 times on the first day, then as needed.
• Reason: Helps the pain and helps stop any bleeding.
• Caution: Avoid frostbite.

Heat Pack:

• If pain lasts over 2 days, put heat on the sore muscle.
• Use a heat pack, heating pad or warm wet washcloth.
• Do this for 10 minutes, then as needed.
• Caution: Avoid burns.

Rest:

• Rest the injured arm as much as possible for 48 hours.

What to Expect:

• Pain and swelling most often peak on day 2 or 3.
• Swelling should be gone by 7 days.
• Pain may take 2 weeks to fully go away.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Pain becomes severe
• Pain is not better after 3 days
• Pain lasts more than 2 weeks
• Your child becomes worse