Health: When bone and joint pain is more than a strain or sprain

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- Now that school has started, students are busy moving around not only from classroom to classroom, but they’re busy on fields, courts, and in P.E. classes. And that means bumps and bruises will be a common sight. But what happens if your child comes home with more? Dr. James Heltsey, an orthopedic surgeon with Western Kentucky Orthopedic and Neurological Associates, says that the more common injuries they see are of the shoulder and the knee. The shoulder can have labral tears or slap tears. For the knee, it’s more often ACL tears, as well as meniscus tears, and ankle sprains.

And in most cases, according to Doctor Heltsey, the injuries are minor. But there are some red flags you need to know about: symptoms such as pain that lasts for more than three weeks, an injury accompanied by a popping sound or sensation of something snapping, as well as the inability to bear weight on a leg, foot or ankle, difficulty trying to grasp or lift an object, or if it is impossible to lift an arm or bend your fingers or toes.

Those symptoms need to be checked out immediately in a setting like an emergency department. For minor injuries, Dr. Heltsey advises avoiding the activity that causes the pain and trying over-the-counter Tylenol and ibuprofen. He also recommends applying ice or heat, depending on the injury.