Couch cushions are not the enemy in this scenario

Baby boy took a tumble and fought the good fight with the Playskool Sit n' Spin and lost.

Having a bone ‘break’ in the summertime is no fun, especially during COVID-19. Activity is already limited and now there’s less to do. Adding insult to injury, the heat associated with 'the dog days of summer' turns an awkward and uncomfortable cast into a swollen, itchy, sweaty, nightmare. 'Real' temperatures in the 90s with 'feels like' temperatures close to 100, makes the air feel like a ‘less-than-soothing, sweat-filled, theme park mister.' 

When thinking about life before the pandemic, families would go to the mall, grocery shop, see a movie, or get a bite to eat at their favorite restaurant. If an injury occurred, there were options to being stuck at home. Today, parents aren't taking any chances.

One solution to the coronavirus circus is to turn homes and backyards into playgrounds. There are swing sets, inflatable pools, sandboxes, riding toys, sidewalk chalk, so many creative ideas allowing families to stay within their small circles. And a month ago, playing with all these great backyard toys was great.  

Now, with temperatures rising, it's time to take the party indoors. Creativity is the name of the game. Let’s face it, children get bored fast and the ones that aren’t bored have very vivid imaginations. 

The game is stepping stones. The toddler's place the couch cushions on the floor. The idea is to jump from cushion to cushion without touching the floor. Right beside the cushions on the floor is a Playskool Sit n’ Spin. As the children are jumping from cushion to cushion burning off energy required prior to nap-time, one loses their balance and as they try to get their footing, one foot catches the sit n’ spin, the leg twists ever so slightly, and down to the ground they go. 

The toddler cries and Mom is ‘johnny-on-the -spot’. After examination, there’s no sign of immediate injury. No swelling or redness, but when the child is set on the floor for a quick weight bearing’ check, it’s a ‘no-go’.  

After verifying that the toddler is still unable to walk on the hurt foot and there is tenderness around the suspected injury, it's time for a trip to the ER. The diagnosis reveals that the child has a Toddler’s fracture or a Childhood Accidental Spiral Fracture or CAST fracture. 

We’ve all seen those small children with a cast or a boot on their leg and wonder what kind of parent lets their toddler play so rough. That’s not the case. Toddler’s fractures can occur with a simple fall while walking, running or when falling from a relatively low height. During this fall the leg twists ever so slightly and may cause the bone to break. Oftentimes, it’s hard to detect. 

Bones are strong but not flexible. They aren’t good at resisting a twist and when this happens, a ‘hairline’ crack appears in the bone or the tibia (which is the shin bone in your leg). The periosteum remains intact and the base of the bone is stable. These are the fractures that are the result of a twisting injury. 

 After an x-ray has confirmed the fracture, and even if the fracture is undetectable because it’s so small, the provider may go ahead and treat the bone as if it’s broken based on diagnosis prior to x-ray and a cast is put on the leg. Two weeks later, another x-ray is taken that will indicate if the bone is healing. 

The cast is typically removed four to six weeks after the break, as long as the tibia bone is no longer tender. For the bone to heal completely, it usually takes approximately 10 weeks. Once there’s no pain with the break and the x-ray shows healing, re-injury risk is low. 
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Moral of the story, there’s really not one. Children are going to have accidents and many aren’t preventable. Accidents will occur inside, outside, up-high, down-low. Thankfully, children are resilient and bones will heal. On a side note, the Playskool Sit n’ Spin is no longer in the house.  


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