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Neck Injury in a 3-year-old

3 replies

NotQuiteCockney · 03/02/2005 09:49

On the way to school this morning, DS1 (3y4m) fell. He falls pretty often, generally his hands are sore, but he's fine after a few minutes.

This time was different. He kept crying, and moaning, and didn't cheer up when we got to school. He said he thought his neck was broken. So I gave up and took him home again (he often says he doesn't want to go to school, but never makes a fuss when there, often I have to hunt him down to say "bye").

Obviously, his neck isn't broken, but he is hurt. He keeps holding his neck on one side, and says he can't turn it.

I've put an ice pack on it. I've encouraged him to keep it still (by putting the telly on ... a rare treat for him). I'd like to put iboprofen gel on it, but as the tube says it's not for under-12s (and as I've read some very alarming stuff lately about how perfectly innocuous drugs for adults can be unduly toxic for kids ...). So I will go out and have a chat with my local pharmacist and get some baby iboprofen for him.

What else can I do? I can try heat and ice. I don't know how I can convince him to rest his neck, other than by encouraging him to sit still. If it's still bad tomorrow, I'll maybe take him to my physio. (I don't think the GP will do much for him, at least not based on my experience of going to them with muscle/tendon issues.)

Has anyone else had a small kid with an injured neck? What helped? Can I rely on their standard super-fast healing to sort this out for him?

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misdee · 03/02/2005 09:52

probably best to speak to gp 1st then see physio tomorrow. poor wee man.

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NotQuiteCockney · 03/02/2005 10:00

GPs are clueless about soft tissue injuries, in my experience. I gave up and saw them with a shoulder injury a few years back, because I needed a voltrol scrip to sort myself out so the physio could do his work. The GP was shocked when I came back a week later entirely better, and not in need of a cortisone shot to the joint. She didn't understand about physios using ultrasound for treatment. She didn't realise that a completely frozen shoulder could be fixed with a minimal amount of drugs and no serious medical intervention.

I guess I'll play it by ear as the day goes on. The thing is, the physio I trust is quite a way away ... I do have help coming this afternoon, so maybe we'll all go. It's a very City practice, and they're startled by me bringing in a baby when I'm having treatment, how will they cope with a baby and a toddler?!?

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NotQuiteCockney · 03/02/2005 21:19

He's not really gotten any better, and I'm starting to get a bit anxious. It looks like we will be off to the GP in the morning, as DH is adamantly opposed to me just taking him to the physios.

He's sort of generally unwell, he seems ok if he sits still, but once he's up and moving about he gets moany again. Twice this morning, he decided he wanted to go to school, and once we even made it to our car park, but he lost interest.

I've given iboprofen and encouraged him to rest. I'm sure the GPs won't be able to do anything, but I guess we should go to be safe, unless he's loads better in the morning.