How Do You Tell If a Bone Is Broken?

Other than a large amount of swelling, unless the wrist/hand/arm is at an angle that is different than the normal only an radiograph will tell you if it's broken.

A dislocated shoulder will appear to just hang by the side but if you are worried it really needs to be addressed by a doctor.

I've broken a few bones, with no signs other then pain. No real bruising or swelling. Only an x-ray showed a brake. I walked around for weeks with a hairline fracture, after a Dr. told me it was just a sprain. Needed an x-ray then. A shoulder dislocation is generally pretty obvious. The arm kind of hangs there.

If something is very painful, a Dr. really should be consulted. I hope everything is OK...

It shows up on the xray.

My sister was skiing with her family years ago when her son (then 5) had a bad fall. He was hurting, but not in excrutiating pain. The ski patrol / clinic support staff checked him out & said he was bruised but OK. They finished their day and the little guy was a bit of a pill -- seemed like he was tired. Next day, his leg was really bothering him so my sister took him to his pediatrician who sent them for X-rays. Yup -- broken leg. We all laughed for a while about this because my sister is a nurse -- not only that, she's an orthopedic nurse in one of the top hospitals in the country!

My daughter, when in the 3rd grade, fell off the monkey bars. She looked fine & wasn't in a ton of pain but something just nagged at me. A quick trip to the ER and, sure enough, she'd broken her wrist. On the other hand, another time I thought for sure she'd broken her ankle and it was just a sprain.

You never know. Get it checked.

Just go to the doctor or urgent care or ER.

My oldest hurt her wrist last year after falling the cement. She said it hurt but it wasn't untilt the next day at a birthday party that it really started to look swollen so I took her for an xray. It was broken alright.
After that I took my youngest in after she was limping around after her ankle hit the doorframe. It was just a contusion, but I'm glad I took her. An xray is always the best option.

It depends.

I have broken a lot of bones (I have brittle bone disease). You can't go by pain or swelling because some hurt really badly and some I didn't even know I had. I was walking around on a shattered heel and I thought I sprained my ankle.

You truly need an x-ray. If this is a child you're talking about, I hope not, don't mess around. If you they have a broken bone, and you never bothered to take them to the ER, and they don't have an underlying condition, the docs are going to want to know why there are healed fractures. When a bone heals it leaves a "scar" and it's very obvious on x-ray.

when i was growing up if i got hurt my dad would always be like can u move it? yes? then its not broken ur fine.. lol somehow im not sure that thats true the onli way ur gna know for sure is an xray

It really depends on how severe it is, the location, etc. There is nothing set in stone for "this is how you know", unfortunately. I would say a trip to the ER for x-rays would be your best bet for diagnosis and proper treatment.

The only way to really know is if a bone is broken is with an X-ray

Me personally? I'd give my children's pediatric nurses line a call, describe the injury and cause, and then go from there.

After I broke my tibia I was convinced I had just sprained it. After all, it wasn't swollen and didn't 'look' broken. I'm really glad I got a second opinion at the ER, 'cause that puppy had snapped through.

Good luck!

X-ray.

I walked on a broken ankle for 2 weeks (actually I may have broken my other ankle last week.. The first was years ago). I still snowboarder with a dislocated collarbone. I broke the cartilage the humerus fits into and waited 9 mo for surgery (and a month before even getting it looked at). My son broke my nose 3 times as a toddler (clueless about the first until I was yanking on it in irritation about a week later and it 'snicked' into place. Can't count how many times I've broken fingers, ribs, and my tailbone. Heck, I even scored 10 extra credit points for dislocating my leg in anatomy and physiology (not supposed to be able to do that... Usually you demure breaks in the hip socket ...the 'broken hip' is usually the broken femur... But I'm bendy from gymnastics back when).

POINT BEING: nothing but a clear X-ray is definitive. Some people (like me) can move broken limbs, others can't. Some people have high pain tolerances... Others don't.

X-RAY

If you are having trouble with a child displaying pain in this area it could be "nurse's elbow." It's often hard to tell because it will present as pain in the wrist for some kids but main indicator is that they don't use the arm. You must take them to the doctor to have it reset or popped back in. If you have a mystery injury its time to see a doctor!

you go to the doctor and have them check it out - my first, yes first broken wrist went untreated for two weeks, we thought it was a sprain. So, you see a doctor and they tell you. After about twice, I could tell if I had broken a bone - I accomplished 7 broken bones plus all my toes at least once from kindergarden to highschool I was an insurance liability according to my father. But, the best way to tell is via xray, if you suspect get it checked.

Of course only an x-ray can say for sure but there are ways to give you some clues. No, the "Can ya' move it?" is not definative. I broke my toe as a teen and then it fused back wrong and now I can't wiggle it. My mom walked around with a broken ankle for weeks because of this "advice". Basically, it when you hit it or fell on it it hurt really bad. And the pain lingered. It doesn't feel much better the next day. When my son fell at the playground and broke his wrist he cried, very loudly, for a few hours and then fell asleep from exhaustion. The next day he was still saying it hurt. Better safe than sorry.

A dislocated shoulder is easy to tell - it's painful as heck and the arm will just hang there (it's popped out of joint). A doctor will need to xray it then pop it back into it's socket. The patient will need to wear a sling to support the arms weight till it heals up.
My sister had a dislocated shoulder after falling off a bike. There was no question about it, it's not a subtle injury.
A broken bone hurts.
I've had wrist hair line fractures.
They show up on an xray and you still have to wear a cast for 8 weeks.

I've sprained my rotator cuff and I have pain down my arm and into my hand. The rotator cuff is in the shoulder joint where the arm bone meats the shoulder bone. I didn't go to the doctor for a couple of months thinking it would go away on it's own. When I saw the doctor he said it was likely that I had a frozen shoulder. Fortunately I don't but I still need physical therapy to return function to my arm.

One cannot move the arm without extreme pain if they've broken or dislocated their shoulder. The arm just hangs down.

Unless there is swelling or the bone is protruding the only way to know if a bone is broken is with an ex-ray.

If a shoulder is dislocated, you won't be able to move it, you won't be able to lift your arm.

Wrist/hand/arm breaks: Obviously, if there's any disformation (that isn't just swelling). Is it swollen? Bruised? Tender to the touch? Hurts to move? Can you feel anything 'crunching' when you move it or press on it? When you press on it, does it feel like broken eggshells under the skin?

I've walked around on broken bones for weeks before, thinking it's just a sprain or bruise. Don't do that ;) But taking care of it at home for a few days until the swelling goes down is preferred (unless the bone is coming through the skin!!)... I've broken multiple bones, and I'm a former EMT.
Really, an X-ray is the only sure fire way to know. I would ice and immobilize it for at least a day or two before going to the doctor, since if it's still crazy swollen, they won't be able to take a clear X-ray anyway.

For both, I think it's painful and hard to use, then you go to the doctor to have it checked out and they do an x-ray. Then you know.