Is my sons thumb broke?!


Question:

Is my sons thumb broke?

My son is 4 and had a rock roll over his thumb today, it is swollen and blue and hurts him pretty bad. When he trys to bend it, it hurts. I cant take him to the doctor until the morning so I wonder if it is broke and how soon are you suppose to take them to the doctor in order for them to do something about it. Will tommorow be to late? How can I tell if it is broke?

Additional Details

1 month ago
well he wont let me near it and he has been crying off and on about it and i asked him if he could bend it and he said no I told him to try and he barely moved it and started screaming and crying. He hasnt been using it at all Ive had to help him with everything today. I tryed to get him to put ice on it but he said it hurt. He wont let anything near it.


Answers:

It is either broken or badly bruised - either way it's very uncomfortable for your son. I'm sure you feel just terrible that he won't let you help and you really want to help make him comfortable. If he is otherwise healthy and you can give him children's tylenol or motrin, following the directions on the package, of course, then that can help take the edge off the pain for him. It should be OK for you to wait until tomorrow, if he can tolerate the pain until then. If he can't, it really doesn't matter whether it's broken or not, he should be seen either at the doctor or ER.

If you don't already have one of those fun ice packs that kids like, then I suggest you invest in one for the future. You cn pickup Little Miss Helpful or Mr. Helpful at The Container Store for about $5. It's a reusable cute little gel pack that you keep in the refrigerator foor times like this. Most drug stores also have little teddy bear or dog cold packs that you keep in the freezer for when you need them ($5-20 dependinig on where you buy it). It's more fun to put those on owies than plain ice.

Here's an idea and he can help:
Put some rice in a baggie or sock and close it up (rubber band the sock). Put it in the freezer for awhile to get cold, then he can hold that on his thumb. It's not hard, like ice cubes, and it forms around tthe thumb, so it dooesn't put the same amount of pressure which could be painful. If he helps put the rice in the baggie or sock, then he is distracted and he may be more enthusiastic about using it.

In the meantime, you can also give him a few bath toys and put them in the bathroom sink - let him play in the cold water with his toys. Kids love to play in the water and the cold may reduce some of the swelling.

Of course, don't forget to just cuddle him and let him know you are sorry his thumb hurts so badly.




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