Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Home > Blog > Orthopaedics > Child Foot and ankle injuries: When is it time to call the doctor?
Orthopaedics

Child Foot and ankle injuries: When is it time to call the doctor?

by Narayana Health October 13, 2021
written by Narayana Health October 13, 2021
Child Foot and ankle injuries: When is it time to call the doctor?

For children, playing is as natural as breathing. As soon as kids can stand, they are dodging imaginary foes and winning races against invisible friends.

It’s a common scenario in many homes…….

Your child comes home after playing and has a limp and complains about pain near their foot or ankle. As a parent you immediately worry, could it be just a sprain, strain or — worse — broken?

Playing sports such as football or basketball — even just jumping off a moving swing at the playground — or running around can cause a sprain or fracture. Excessive use of certain muscles can cause painful strains. So how does one tell the difference between a strain, sprain or a fracture?

The foot has 26 bones and at least 19 major joints. In a child all these bones are still growing, joints and ligaments still maturing. The commonest injuries we see in children are:

Growth plate injuries and fractures / broken bones— Growth plates are areas of cartilage located near the ends of bones. They are the last portion of a child’s bones to harden, and so are particularly susceptible to injury within the growing skeleton.

  • Sprains — Our joints are held together by a structure called a “ligament”. Any injury to a ligament is called a sprain
  • Strains — overstretched or torn muscles.
  • Overuse injuries — Excessive stress is placed on your joint or other tissue, often by “overdoing” an activity or repeating an equivalent activity over and over.

So “Unless you are well versed with the anatomy of the paediatric foot, it’s difficult to differentiate between sprains, strains and fracture in children,” but “It’s more important for folks to understand how urgent your child’s injury needs specialist attention, if at all.”

So When does your child need a doctor?

  1. Significant swelling.
  2. Bone misalignment or misshaped foot or ankle.
  3. Severe pain not resolved with rest.
  4. Your child can’t walk, move their ankle or put weight on it.
  5. There’s a change in your child’s skin colour (the ankle or foot is turning blue).
  6. Numbness.
  7. Bleeding or a break in the skin.

“These are all signs of a serious injury that require immediate treatment,” Your child will need an x-ray or higher imaging and may need a splint, brace, boot or cast. If there’s a significant injury or damage to the growth plate, surgery could also be necessary.”

So what injuries don’t require urgent medical attention?

If the pain is not severe, there is a full range of ankle motion, no misalignment, there is no reason to rush to a doctor

All parents need to know the right first aid method to give their child. Know the simple RICE method:

  • Rest – Just as it sounds. Stay off the injured ankle to stop more damage.
  • Ice – Apply a cold pack or ice pack (in a towel) for up to twenty minutes to scale back the swelling and ease the pain. Repeat four to eight times each day.
  • Compression – Wrap the ankle with a bandage or compression wrap to assist swelling reduction.
  • Elevation –​ Keep the foot and ankle raised by resting it on a pillow or other elevated surface above heart level to reduce swelling and pain.

“avoid any massage with oils or solutions. If at any time symptoms get worse, then it’s time to seek help.

A common question we regularly get is How to prevent such injuries…

The best way to help your child avoid ankle injury is with proper physical conditioning for the sport and play. Encourage Warming up before activity. Getting enough rest. Staying hydrated. Eating properly and importantly Wearing appropriate footwear.

We at SRCC Children’s Hospital, managed by Narayana Health, give specialized care in all aspects of pediatric injuries, we have a team of doctors and nurses who treat children of all ages all the time and are there to make you and your child comfortable during this whole process.

Dr. Avi Shah | Consultant – Orthopaedics, Orthopedics-Paediatric | SRCC Children’s Hospital, Mumbai

ankle injurybone fracturebroken bonefoot injurypediatric injuriesSprainstrain
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp
previous post
Bariatric Surgery – Not a Cosmetic Surgery but a Lifesaving Surgery
next post
Proteins for Weight Loss

You may also like

First aid for Fracture

February 1, 2023

Myth of knee replacement surgery

February 1, 2023

Knee Replacement in Young Patients

November 9, 2022

How Weight Training Can Help Prevent Osteoporosis

September 15, 2022

Exercises for Back Relief

September 8, 2022

Spondylitis vs Spondylosis

August 23, 2022

Types of Knee Replacement Surgery

August 8, 2022

Importance of Bone Health for women

July 15, 2022

Flat Feet – Types, Causes and Treatment

May 16, 2022

How can Physiotherapy help with recovery?

April 23, 2022

QUICK LINKS

Book an Appointment

Find a Doctor

Hospitals

Medical Services

About NH

Narayana Health

Narayana Health is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and operates a network of hospitals across the country, with a particularly strong presence in the southern state of Karnataka and eastern India, as well as an emerging presence in northern, western and central India. Our first facility was established in Bengaluru with approximately 225 operational beds and we have since grown to 23 hospitals, 7 heart centres, 19 primary care facilities across India and an international hospital in the Cayman Islands.

Keep In Touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube Telegram

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Boosting your Immune System against Coronavirus: How to minimize the risk of...

    April 2, 2020
  • 2

    How to maintain a Balanced Diet

    September 3, 2019
  • 3

    Coronavirus Testing – How to Test for Coronavirus? – Different Types of Tests

    March 13, 2020
  • 4

    Know about proper usage, disposal and reuse of mask

    April 6, 2020

Categories

  • Aids (5)
  • Bengali (1)
  • Blood Pressure (4)
  • Bone Marrow Transplant (12)
  • Breast Cancer (28)
  • Cancer (47)
  • Cardiac Surgery (23)
  • Cardiology (167)
  • Coronavirus (110)
  • Dental Sciences (2)
  • Dermatology (15)
  • Diabetes (37)
  • E. N. T – Paediatric (7)
  • E. N. T. (9)
  • ECMO (1)
  • Endocrinology (11)
  • Gastroenterology (34)
  • General Health (127)
  • General Surgery (4)
  • Gynaecology (46)
  • Haematology (5)
  • Health Nuggets (44)
  • Healthy Life (2)
  • Hepatology (14)
  • Hindi (7)
  • Infectious Diseases (4)
  • Kidney (5)
  • Liver (30)
  • Medical Oncology (1)
  • Mental Health (4)
  • Narayana Health (243)
  • Nephrology (34)
  • Neurology (103)
  • Neurosurgery (30)
  • News (6)
  • NH services (6)
  • Nutrition and Diet (27)
  • Oncology (108)
  • Organ Donation (1)
  • Orthopaedics (102)
  • Paediatric Cardiology (11)
  • Paediatric Liver Transplant (1)
  • Paediatric Oncology (3)
  • Paediatric Surgery (4)
  • Paediatrics (77)
  • Pain & Palliative Care (4)
  • Pregnancy (9)
  • Psychology (5)
  • Pulmonology (34)
  • Radiation Oncology (8)
  • Rheumatology (4)
  • Services (3)
  • Spine Surgery (30)
  • Stroke (7)
  • Swine Flu (1)
  • Transplant (1)
  • Urology (38)
  • Vascular Surgery (10)

Follow us

QUICK LINKS

Find a Doctor

Book an Appointment

Make an Enquiry

Feedback

Hospitals

Blogs

Privilege card

Heart Rhythm Disorder

NH CARES

Hernia

Lung Cancer

Brain Tumour

Liver Cancer

Heart Attack

Urinary Problems

Heart Transplant

Kidney Transplant

Bone Marrow Transplant

Pulmonary Hypertension

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery

Cardiology

Cardiac Surgery

Neurology

Neurosurgery

Orthopaedics

Robotic Surgery

Vascular Surgery

Nephrology

Radiation Oncology

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Academics

Clinical Research

NH Colleges

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

About Narayana Health

|

Stakeholder Relations

|

News & Media Relations

|

Awards and Accreditations

|

Leadership

|

Careers

|

CSR

|

Sitemap

© Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd | All rights reserved
NPPA Implant Pricing     Terms & Conditions     Privacy Policy     Disclaimer

Book Online Consultation