How do you know if you break your arm?

Answer 1

if the frigin bone is sticking out!!! duh i mean come on and if it hurts like hell.

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That is correct the bone will be pushing the skin, however it may not actually breach the skin.

Furthermore, if you think your arm is broken and the bone is intact it may be 'fractured' and it will hurt, not nearly as bad as a broken arm and generally will swell while you sleep and when you wake it will be the most painful. So check out hairline fractures.

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I broke my arm last year and there was NO swelling at all! The doctors were not sure until it was x-rayed. I broke it in 2 places and bent the bone. Bending the bone hurts as well. The bone is not always pushing the skin though, my friend went 2 days before her mum realised she had broken her arm in 4 places and had to have 2 operations!

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Let's face it, if it was really broken it would be too painful to use your computer, and you'd already have gone to the emergency room by now! Do you fall into the "I have very minor swelling, no visible injury, but using my arm is too painful camp?" Make sure you take a pain killer like Allieve and put ice on the arm until you can drag yourself away from the TV to see your doctor. After all, seeing who got voted off American Idol is much, much, much more important then waiting in an emergency room all night just to be told to take two Asprin and call the doctor in the morning. But, jokes aside, if you're in doubt, you should consult with a real doctor.

Answer 2

Unless there's an obvious joint where there shouldn't be one, it can be hard to tell if there's a break or not. Check for swelling and tenderness. Spiral breaks, stress fractures, and cracked bones can be extremely hard to diagnose in the field. Even epiphyseal breaks (chipped bones) may be difficult to detect.

The best thing is to get an X-ray.

Answer 3

If the break is at or near a joint, then moving the joint at all causes sharp searing pain. A crack in the middle of a long bone can usually be detected bracing the bone against something firm (body position is usually enough) and tapping hard against the unbraced end. If you feel mild pain where you were tapped, then it's probably not broken...

Answer 4

I do not know personally, but from what I have heard, when your arm is broken, the shape changes. Instead of being in a normal, straight-line shape, the break in the bone usually "bends" in a different direction. *Could someone please expand on/correct this? The above answer explains a break to the arm... a fracture can go undetected by physical appearence. The only way to confirm a fracture is by x-ray.

Answer 5

You will will a lot of swelling, and it will no signs of recovery after the first few days. See a Doctor as soon as possible.

Answer 6

If you broke your arm you would have extreme pain, swelling, and you could not move the injured arm. If you think you broke your arm you should head to the doctors office as soon as possible!

Answer 7

It would be very painful and if you could pick something up you will drop it.

Answer 8

An obvious deformity; otherwise an x-ray is needed to know for sure.

Answer 9

The combination of weakness and pain is usually telling. However, the best method to determine whether or not a bone is fractured is radiologic (x-rays).