How to care for a child's broken arm

If children are not careful in their lives, they may suffer arm fractures. After all, children's bones are relatively brittle. Children with fractures need good care, such as plaster or braces, etc. In terms of care, because children are naturally playful and noisy, parents must give timely instructions and do a good job of care. They should also eat more foods that help recovery. Let's take a look at this aspect.

How to care for a child's broken arm

In addition to paying attention to the pain, skin color and peripheral movement of the affected limb when applying a plaster cast, daily care is also particularly important. Generally, for upper limb fractures, the arm needs to be suspended in front of the chest with a sling after plaster application, which is the same as the triangular bandage used in the past. The purpose of doing this is because the plaster itself is very heavy, and children like to move around, so if the affected limb is always drooping or swinging around randomly, it is easy to swell and cause pain.

There are many types of gypsum

The most common ones are hydrated gypsum and polyurethane gypsum. Hydrated gypsum is relatively hard and heavy, while polyurethane is relatively better. If it is water plaster, try to prevent the plaster from coming into contact with water, otherwise it may cause the plaster to deform, compress the skin or affect bone healing.

In addition, many parents worry that their children will have problems if they sleep with the plaster on. In fact, no matter what kind of plaster it is, it will be fine as long as the child does not feel uncomfortable in the sleeping posture. If the posture is abnormal and the affected limb is twisted, it will be painful. Therefore, don’t worry too much about this. If you are really worried, you can change your child’s sleeping position.

In comparison, wearing a brace is less troublesome than wearing a plaster. The brace is lightweight, waterproof, and can be removed at any time. Be sure to consult the doctor before deciding whether you can open the brace to wash or scratch your child's itch. This can only be done after the doctor agrees. Otherwise, it may easily cause fracture displacement. Also, be careful not to place the brace directly against the skin. Always put soft cloth inside. If the child sweats, it should be replaced in time. At the same time, pay attention to the condition of the skin to see if there is any damage or lesions.

In addition to plaster and braces, some children undergo minimally invasive external fixation surgery after fractures. No surgery is required, only a few nails are driven into the body to fix the fracture, and a metal frame is installed outside the body. Parents of such children should pay attention and wipe the needle hole with iodine cotton balls once a day to disinfect it, and wipe off the dirty blood around the needle hole to keep the surgical site clean and dry; in addition, do not cover the needle hole, just expose it normally.