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Thread: Help! - My little boy (18m) broke his leg today :-(

  1. #1
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Help! - My little boy (18m) broke his leg today :-(

    We arrived at Centre Parcs near Reims in France at 4pm, after leaving home at 5am from Cambridge.

    Unpacked the car, drove to park the car and collect out golf buggy. During the hand over of the buggy, our little lad fell down into the 8 inch gap between our buggy and the next parked one. We though nothing of it, but he cried and cried and cried for 45 mins. So I called the Centre Parcs medical team and a nice chap came to our villa and said we should go for an X-ray.

    The French hospital was brilliant. 20 minute drive away, parked right outside A&E and were checked in and having X-rays within 10 minutes.

    Broken tibia and fibia. My wife and I couldn’t believe it. Utterly devastated. Pooor little lad. His sister (3.5y) was in tears as she realised that he can’t go swimming at all now or do any of the activities we have booked. Can’t even go to the ‘beach’ for fear of getting sand into his cast. 😢


    They say the cast will have to be on for a month….!? Is that right?

    It was hard to fully comprehend everything we were told in French as my French is barely average.

    Have any of you TZers had kids who’ve broken their bones? Will it impact the rest of his life? Or be good as new in 6 weeks?

  2. #2
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Before :-) On the ferry over this morning.




    After :-(


  3. #3
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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  4. #4
    Sorry to hear about this!

    To my (limited) knowledge young kids will heal fast and it's only ever a worry if they damage growth plates

  5. #5
    Master brigant's Avatar
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    My boy broke his led in two places when he was about 11. He's 50 now and has never suffered any ill effects. Sorry to hear about your lad but I'm sure with proper attention he'll be fine.

  6. #6
    Master reggie747's Avatar
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    Oh , that's bloody terrible, the poor little fella...

  7. #7
    Grand Master wileeeeeey's Avatar
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    Poor little guy. Hope he perks up and the recovery is swift.

  8. #8
    Master W124's Avatar
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    Commonly known as a greenstick fracture, due to the fragile nature of bones up to apps 8 years old.

    Two of my three sons incurred GS fractures, which are due to twisting or side impact, it doesn't take much force at the age of this little fella.

    The boss is a district nurse, and we are well versed in the treatment and recovery from GS fractures.
    The most important thing is to keep them as immobile as practical, which will be hard at CP.

    You can see that the fibula is cracked, but not broken clean through, this is typical of GS.

    For the first two weeks try to avoid any loading on the broken leg to prevent further cracking of the bone.
    Weeks 2-4 will be easier, at six weeks likely move to a soft support brace / splint.

    I hope that you can enjoy your time together, certainly one to look back on !
    Last edited by W124; 30th August 2022 at 01:08.

  9. #9
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    Friends of ours have a little boy who broke his leg at around the same age as yours.

    I couldn’t believe how quickly he healed, and seeing him after the cast came off you’d never know he’d broken his leg at all! Following the advice of the medical team was the hardest bit, he still wanted to climb on stuff as kids do.

    I know that all breaks are different, but he should make a 100% recovery,

  10. #10
    I'm a bone surgeon.
    I can't treat your boy over the Internet, but from afar, those xrays don't look worrying and he'll be healed quickly and reliably. Yes it will change your holiday unfortunately..
    Break like that heal to 100%
    He could still score the winning goal in an FA cup final sometime :)

    W124, I'd be a little careful about advising aftercare, weight-bearing status and new plasters as you have done in your post. It's for the treating orthopaedic surgeon to specify, and what you have said isn't quite accurate. But I know you are well meaning. The tibial fracture for instance is torus type not greenstick.

    Ortho follow up in the UK is needed upon return.
    Last edited by The Doc; 30th August 2022 at 07:23.

  11. #11
    Grand Master Raffe's Avatar
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    Poor little lad, hope he recovers swiftly. As others have said, probably no need to worry about the future.

    Hope you can enjoy a bit of your holidays.
    Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.

  12. #12
    I'm sure he'll recover and heal quickly. He'll have an excellent adventure/story to tell his kids and grandkids when he's older.

  13. #13
    Grand Master Chinnock's Avatar
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    Broke my arm as a toddler following my dad cutting the lawn. As he turned round I fell onto the blades of the mower (old Suffolk Punch) and my arm stopped the blades that were slowing thankfully due to my dad turning, but was broken.

    No long term issues. The younger you are the quicker you heel.

  14. #14
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by W124 View Post
    Commonly known as a greenstick fracture, due to the fragile nature of bones up to apps 8 years old.

    Two of my three sons incurred GS fractures, which are due to twisting or side impact, it doesn't take much force at the age of this little fella.

    The boss is a district nurse, and we are well versed in the treatment and recovery from GS fractures.
    The most important thing is to keep them as immobile as practical, which will be hard at CP.

    You can see that the fibula is cracked, but not broken clean through, this is typical of GS.

    For the first two weeks try to avoid any loading on the broken leg to prevent further cracking of the bone.
    Weeks 2-4 will be easier, at six weeks likely move to a soft support brace / splint.

    I hope that you can enjoy your time together, certainly one to look back on !

    I always believed that a green stick fracture emulated the ‘partial’ break of a soft twig where part of the bone did not separate.

  15. #15
    Grand Master ryanb741's Avatar
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    Ah shit Greg I'm so sorry to read this. Hope he makes a swift recovery - kids tend to be tougher than adults and he'll brush it off. I'm sure he'll get loads of attention and it will be his special thing for a while.

  16. #16
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Thanks guys, especially the Doc. I told my wife that I was confident that a post on here would bring us some reassurance from a professional or two, I was right, thank you TZ!

    He slept ok given the circumstances, despite half the night being next to me while I cat napped in case he fell out of bed. This morning he seems ok, doesn’t look to be in pain, and is happy to sit and cuddle.

    Rather a crap time for this to happen, being the 1st day at Centre Parcs in France, but we will try and make the most of it for the week. Our daughter (3.5) is being very helpful and kind to her little brother. It’s cute to see!

    Will call today for a follow up appointment when we get back.

    Thanks again.

  17. #17
    Addenbrookes fracture clinic in a week or two. You might need your GP to request this, or just present to Addie's A&E on return (what a crap system when GP access is so poor)
    Xrays on disc taken home would be useful, but not mandatory.
    Don't worry if he stands on the cast accidentally, it's not unstable

  18. #18
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Thank you for the advice.

  19. #19
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    Ah, Greg, what a thing to have happened, so sorry, its horrible when your child hurts themselves, we have had a few incidents over the years and its such a worry.
    All the best and Im sure he will be ok, kids heal fast.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  20. #20
    Grand Master SimonK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Doc View Post
    Xrays on disc taken home would be useful, but not mandatory...
    French hospitals generally put X-rays, blood work, etc on some kind of cloud storage and then give the patient an access code to pass on to the follow-up healthcare professional.

  21. #21
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SimonK View Post
    French hospitals generally put X-rays, blood work, etc on some kind of cloud storage and then give the patient an access code to pass on to the follow-up healthcare professional.
    Yes, they did do this. Trying to call our GP now to make an appointment for next week.

    Thanks Jason. Such a heart wrench having a poorly kid.

  22. #22
    I'm a GP and can confirm we can book into fracture clinic directly in cases like this without seeing the patient first. Just send a message to your GP through their online messaging system and they should arrange the rest.

  23. #23
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    Really sorry to hear this. Poor little fella. Wishing him a speedy recovery. I hope despite this awful experience you can still get some rest and enjoyment during your holiday.

  24. #24
    Grand Master hogthrob's Avatar
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    Poor little fellow. 4 weeks isn't that long. Do kids of this age do physiotherapy?

  25. #25
    Very very rare to need physio after this. You can't stop then getting better!

  26. #26
    Grand Master thieuster's Avatar
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    That's sad, especially at the start of your holiday. If it were my son, I would spoil him during the holiday! Can you borrow/rent a wheelchair so that you can visit a zoo (is there on close to Reims?) or that sort of spots.

  27. #27
    Aah, that's tough luck. Hope time passes quickly for the little fella.
    Certainly a somewhat painful experience.
    I snapped and shattered my Tibia 45yrs ago playing rugby. Docs did a great job sorting the damage whilst installing a plate across the broken bits.
    Ended up in a cast for 6mths or so.
    Maybe the best thing I can say going forward is to watch out for some irritation that the little fella is likely to experience down the inside of the cast during the repair period. Very frustrating at times trying to scratch that itch.
    Modern medicine has come a long way since my break.
    Best wishes!

  28. #28
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Doc View Post
    Addenbrookes fracture clinic in a week or two. You might need your GP to request this, or just present to Addie's A&E on return (what a crap system when GP access is so poor)
    Xrays on disc taken home would be useful, but not mandatory.
    Don't worry if he stands on the cast accidentally, it's not unstable
    We had a little experience of the crap system recently, my 15 year old son had a accident at school during last term, he was trying to catch a football but used his little finger to try to do so, confirmed at A+E as a very slight break apparently, so was strapped up and told the fracture clinic would be in touch for a appt, some weeks went by and no contact, the wife called and was told they would ask the GP for a referral, another 3-4 weeks went by ( by this time I expect it had healed so no big deal, no pain, full movement and was perfectly fine) and we got a letter from the GP referring him, the thing was, the circumstances and description of the injury were clearly about someone else entirely, we phoned and left a message with the GP but have heard nothing further, this was over a month ago, so its probably been over 3 months since the injury, as i say, it doesn't really matter to us as all is well, but you do have to wonder about the system.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  29. #29
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    I have limited medical understanding, but your son will require more ice cream for his bones to heal.

  30. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clem View Post
    Aah, that's tough luck. Hope time passes quickly for the little fella.
    Certainly a somewhat painful experience.
    I snapped and shattered my Tibia 45yrs ago playing rugby. Docs did a great job sorting the damage whilst installing a plate across the broken bits.
    Ended up in a cast for 6mths or so.
    Maybe the best thing I can say going forward is to watch out for some irritation that the little fella is likely to experience down the inside of the cast during the repair period. Very frustrating at times trying to scratch that itch.
    Modern medicine has come a long way since my break.
    Best wishes!
    Flexible plastic 12” ruler down the inside of the cast - deals with itches nicely.

  31. #31
    It was a Drum Stick for me.

    Quote Originally Posted by blackal View Post
    Flexible plastic 12” ruler down the inside of the cast - deals with itches nicely.

  32. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackal View Post
    Flexible plastic 12” ruler down the inside of the cast - deals with itches nicely.
    Also a long ty-wrap (cable tie) works well too, we are sending best wishes to the wee lad over the ethernet, sure after a couple of days he will be the star attraction around, try not to worry too much as he'll soon get over it(you may not) and forget he's supposed to be immobile.

  33. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by mr noble View Post
    We arrived at Centre Parcs near Reims in France at 4pm, after leaving home at 5am from Cambridge.

    Unpacked the car, drove to park the car and collect out golf buggy. During the hand over of the buggy, our little lad fell down into the 8 inch gap between our buggy and the next parked one. We though nothing of it, but he cried and cried and cried for 45 mins. So I called the Centre Parcs medical team and a nice chap came to our villa and said we should go for an X-ray.

    The French hospital was brilliant. 20 minute drive away, parked right outside A&E and were checked in and having X-rays within 10 minutes.

    Broken tibia and fibia. My wife and I couldn’t believe it. Utterly devastated. Pooor little lad. His sister (3.5y) was in tears as she realised that he can’t go swimming at all now or do any of the activities we have booked. Can’t even go to the ‘beach’ for fear of getting sand into his cast. 😢


    They say the cast will have to be on for a month….!? Is that right?

    It was hard to fully comprehend everything we were told in French as my French is barely average.

    Have any of you TZers had kids who’ve broken their bones? Will it impact the rest of his life? Or be good as new in 6 weeks?
    Really sorry to hear this! If it’s any consolation my boy broke his arm at about 3 years old and had cast on for about 4/5 weeks and was then good as new with no lasting issues. That was a few years ago now.

    Kids tend to be resilient.

    I drew a Spider-Man logo on my sons cast (he chose the red cast)…that seemed to help!

  34. #34
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    Hope the little man makes a speedy recovery.


    Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app

  35. #35
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Our GP service has told us they can’t refer us and we just have to go to A&E when we’re back.

    She did say that at A&E they will re-X-ray it to make sure all is well. At least that will be a reassurance.

  36. #36
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    My boy broke his leg 5 years ago when he was 3 1/2 (under the supervision of my wife.)

    I contacted a local charity and they supplied a kids wheelchair for a small donation. It was absolutely essential. Maybe research and get one arranged asap?

    When the cast came off after 5 or 6 weeks his leg was very sore and he couldn't bend his knee so a few days of learning to walk again was needed. Also get some good moisturising cream as his skin was very dry and peeling when the cast came off.

    After a few weeks he totally recovered and he's now playing football without any issues. His team mate also broke his leg at the same age and is the fastest player in the u9 league so you've probably got nothing to worry about long term.

  37. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by blackal View Post
    Flexible plastic 12” ruler down the inside of the cast - deals with itches nicely.
    Don't put anything down the cast. It rucks up undercast padding and you can end up with a plaster sore.
    Google plaster sore, it's like a bed sore.
    If the plaster is trouble it can be easily taken off and refitted.

    No messing with plasters. I've been putting them on people for 18 years

  38. #38
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Doc View Post
    Don't put anything down the cast. It rucks up undercast padding and you can end up with a plaster sore.
    Google plaster sore, it's like a bed sore.
    If the plaster is trouble it can be easily taken off and refitted.

    No messing with plasters. I've been putting them on people for 18 years
    I reckon I have managed to insert a round/beveled edge ruler down a cast without rucking the padding, but I do recognise the general advice.

  39. #39
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    Sorry to hear about the wee fella. He’s a brave soldier and I hope he recovers fully as expected.

    I’m pleased The Doc on here has given his advice. Great info and expert guidance.

    Take and give my very best to you and him. Try to have a good vacation.

    Jim
    Last edited by Jimmcb; 30th August 2022 at 19:29.

  40. #40
    Grand Master Raffe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Essexman View Post
    I have limited medical understanding, but your son will require more ice cream for his bones to heal.
    Best advice in the whole thread.
    Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.

  41. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Raffe View Post
    Best advice in the whole thread.
    Absolute nonsense, worst medical advice i've ever heard. Anyone with any sort of medical background will tell you it's not the ice-cream that is beneficial, it's the flake and extra sauce that does the good work.

  42. #42
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Haha. Turns out that a trip on the merry-go-round in a little blue car was the best medicine.

    He’s been having fun most of the day and strangely hasn’t moaned when he’s been watching his sister have fun on things like the huge bouncy castle.

    He does seem to moan every 4-5 hours when the calpol wears off, so there must still be some pain there.

    Still can’t believe it all happened. So awful. I could cry if I think about it too hard.

  43. #43
    Craftsman
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    Wishing him a speedy recovery!

  44. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by Raffe View Post
    Best advice in the whole thread.
    Offence taken


    Not not really. :) :)!
    The disruption and anguish from this injury is clear to see, and you have all our sympathy.
    He's going to be absolutely fine though, and will surprise you by how quickly he heals and starts walking on the cast!



    I admitted one of these femoral fractures in a 2 Yr old yesterday. He is definitely not too happy with the state of affairs. 4 weeks in a Thomas splint in a hospital bed.

    Enjoy France and extra ice cream all round. Dairy is good for bones. Rum and Raisin flavour is good for parents.
    William

  45. #45
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    Ouch! That poor kid’s break looks horrific. And a month in a hospital bed will be terrible for the little one. Poor thing.

    Certainly makes me realise that maybe we’ve been lucky that it wasn’t too bad a fracture on our little guy.



    William, are you saying that my son could walk on the cast ok? We didn’t really understand what was said as it was in broken English and French that I didn’t understand much of.

    I understood that he must put zero weight on it at all, but maybe I got that wrong.

    I appreciate that you may not wish to give any advice over the internet, that’s fine if so.

  46. #46
    Master TKH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mr noble View Post
    Haha. Turns out that a trip on the merry-go-round in a little blue car was the best medicine.

    He’s been having fun most of the day and strangely hasn’t moaned when he’s been watching his sister have fun on things like the huge bouncy castle.

    He does seem to moan every 4-5 hours when the calpol wears off, so there must still be some pain there.

    Still can’t believe it all happened. So awful. I could cry if I think about it too hard.
    enjoy your holiday he’s probably far less bothered by it than you and clearly he’s enjoying his holiday which is great .

    Sounds like your blaming or questioning yourselves and doing ‘if only & what if’ which we all instinctively do ‘don’t’ accidents are just that unavoidable life incidents.

    Having 3 we’ve been through it fingers trapped in car doors, heads colliding, slips, fainted whilst on a pushbike at Centre Parks, were now on cars in hedges.

    Its all part of growing up and yes Ice Cream helps.

  47. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by mr noble View Post

    William, are you saying that my son could walk on the cast ok? We didn’t really understand what was said as it was in broken English and French that I didn’t understand much of.

    I understood that he must put zero weight on it at all, but maybe I got that wrong.
    .
    He shouldn't walk on it for 3 weeks at least, but I don't want you to fret if you find him putting it to the ground in a week or so and giving it a try. It's to be avoided, but kids fractures are basically veterinary medicine. They do what they want and get going again when they are ready.
    When I take a cast off an under 5 Yr old, it's very common that the mum says "well he's been walking in the cast for a week now!" Casts aren't strong enough on the bottom to be walked upon without a plaster shoe fitted anyhow.
    Go slow and be careful.
    If you are worried, go and see a fracture clinic wherever you are.

  48. #48
    Master mr noble's Avatar
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    UPDATE

    The little lad had a check up at the hospital today. Cast was removed and more X-rays done.

    Then he was sent home without a new cast. Fantastic news!!

    However I’m puzzled as we were originally told the cast would be on for 5 or 6 weeks, so after only 3 weeks, it seem too soon.

    Will a fracture like this have healed up enough after just 3 weeks?

    He has been trying to walk on the cast for the last week or so, which I figured was a good indication that it doesn’t hurt anymore.

  49. #49
    I'll bet your first info of 5+ weeks was a well intentioned guess by a non specialist. Whereas you are now being looked after by a Fracture clinic specialist like me, who does this day in day out and is accurate.
    I see this a hundred times a month. "oh, but the A&E team said I'd need an operation"
    Trust your Ortho surgeon.

  50. #50
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    It would have been the icecream, best give him some more to ensure his bones remain healthy!

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