worried my arm might be broken

[Alice1]

I went to the walk in centre yesterday after a car barrier closed on my arm and the nurse felt it and twisted it a bit and cause I only felt discomfort said it was fine.

It still hurts a bit though today, sometimes down the length of my forearm and I can feel it clicking or something (I dunno really) sometimes.

My mum said I'm fine too as there's no swelling, bruising or that much pain but I'm still a bit worried its fractured and if I carry on my activities I will cause it to get si much worse.

I'm really active, cycle, train 6 days a week for rowing now (I have a competition on saturday and have to row 4.5K at training today) and waitress past time as a job, so I'm worried what will happen if it I broken!

I feel so stupid, and the nurse looked at me like I was mad yesterday but I know the only real way to know is am x ray. Bit its the NHS and obviously they try and save money every way they can so noone is going to give me one.

What can I do?

[MyNameIsTerry]

You don't need an x-ray, Alice. If you had broken your arm you would really know you had as it would be very painful. Even a fracture would be painful.

If you are lifting things with that arm and can press on the area without a load of pain, it's a bang and probably bruised. A nurse twisting a fractured or broken arm would result in a load of pain.

You wouldn't be doing the basic things at home using that arm with that kind of injury so you will be fine with your training. If it was more a pull or twist then it could impact on your training, I guess you will have to see though and I would imagine there is a trainer there or coach you can ask.

Good luck with your race!

[Alice1]

You don't need an x-ray, Alice. If you had broken your arm you would really know you had as it would be very painful. Even a fracture would be painful.

If you are lifting things with that arm and can press on the area without a load of pain, it's a bang and probably bruised. A nurse twisting a fractured or broken arm would result in a load of pain.

You wouldn't be doing the basic things at home using that arm with that kind of injury so you will be fine with your training. If it was more a pull or twist then it could impact on your training, I guess you will have to see though and I would imagine there is a trainer there or coach you can ask.

Good luck with your race!

Hi terry,

Thank you for being so patient with me once again and just so kind.

I know I'm ridiculous and I feel so guilty and stupid always going on about illnesses and worried to the people around me.

Ok, I will try and believe it and distract myself.

I had to stop on Friday after an intense 1K test due to my breathing and I'm worried they all think I'm an idiot.

Thanks again :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

I know what you mean with the breathing, it''s been an issue for me in the past. My therapist had be sprinting to bring it on and notice how I felt. It didn't really help back then for later on when I was in a better recovery position I found running with dog got me over it.

So, I think you are doing really well with how you exposing yourself to intensive exercise and in time I think you will get beyond these types of worries as it becomes a normal feeling in your body.

Don't let it win, you are doing really well!

[TheMadOladCoger]

Hello,

I broke my arm about 4 years back during a football game well actually it was a mixer of my arm and wrist. When I did it I knew something was wrong I had a feeling of intense pain when ever I moved it and had no control over my hand I couldn't grip anything when it happened as it hurt so much. Anyway around 10 minutes after I had done it my arm was swollen. So unless yours sounds similar to that I think you may have just hurt it a bit. Braking a bone is painful even if its only a crack in the bone.

Peace

I would also like to add that after mine was done I waited till the next day to go and get it looked at as it was rather late, my arm felt heavy and useless in that time and I needed to hold it with my other arm to stop the pain and to walk without coursing pain when moving.

[Iblametheparents]

It's not unheard of for fractures to go undiagnosed.You're not silly Alice and shame on the nurse for making you feel that way.
Be guided by how your body feels. If it's too painful to use, don't make it worse by stressing it. I know how hard it is to stop training if it's your life. It can feel like all your good is being undone. (I haven't been able to run for 3 weeks and my mental wellbeing has suffered!). The impact of suddenly not being able to exercise in an anxious person shouldn't be overlooked IMHO.
You aren't over-training are you? Make sure your nutrition is adequate for the calories expended and you get enough of everything for strong bones!

---------- Post added at 11:39 ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 ----------

The thing the hospital has to consider is, "Will an x-ray change management of a painful forearm?"
In the case of a scaphoid fracture, sometimes missed on first presentation is yes, it does matter because it can cause avascular necrosis.
In your case, if it's stable and manageable with ibuprofen and rest, they may consider it unnecessary to x-ray as it'll soon heal up in a young non-smoker.
Just something to consider.

---------- Post added at 11:42 ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 ----------

But actually, if is fractured, it probably should be cast, so scratch that. :wall:
See how you go!

[Fishmanpa]

It's not unheard of for fractures to go undiagnosed.You're not silly Alice and shame on the nurse for making you feel that way.

While it's not unheard of, it's pretty rare and as has been stated, it's very painful! No need to feed the already extreme HA of the OP. If indeed there were signs of the injury being serious, an x-ray would have been ordered. The nurse was doing her job and apparently did it well in this case! Read the OP again. The nurse "twisted" her arm and she felt some "discomfort". If the bone were broken or fractured, pushing, prodding and twisting that is normally done with a suspected fracture injury would cause extreme "pain".

Positive thoughts

[Iblametheparents]

Fair enough, I didn't mean to feed her anxiety (the last thing I'd want!) just didn't want her to feel silly. Friend of mine - a non worrier - was walking around on a broken foot for some time before they found a fracture. I didn't mean to spurn the triage nurses out there! They're great. But only last year one made me feel very silly. Possibly all in my head mind!

[Pepperpot]

Soft tissue damage can actually be worse than a break (especially the ankle) as it can take longer to heal. I would grab a tubigrip, double it up to support it, and take some ibuprofen to reduce any internal swelling. Give it a couple of weeks but chances are it'll be fine x