Question
my son fell approx 6ft and landed on his bottom 1 week ago. He had been playing ok for a few days but now cant jump or run without getting pain in his sternum and middle back. It means he cant sit up properly and cant bear anyone to touch him he is 8 yrs old. What should I do please?

Answer
Dear Jane,

A significant fall such as you have described can jar the heck out of a skeletally immature body and may cause microfractures away from the initial trauma site.  Because of the way that your son landed, the entire spinal column and ribcage gets a decelerative force from the pelvic bones as they contact the ground, and all of the energy from his weight and the combination of gravity is either disapated through the ground or absorbed by the body...this is how the injury occurs, and this mechanism of compression can easily cause vertebral fractures.  

These types of injuries are tough to deal with because young children often have a low pain tolerance and their fear magnifies their pain, but you just can't discount it as a normal fall of growing up as their bodies can be injured more easily than adults concerning forceful trauma.  And a continued report of pain from a child always needs to be checked out thoroughly.

I would suggest that you have him examined at the emergency room rather than by your family practitioner or a chiropractor due to the high pain levels and sensitivity to touch.  The ER will have the facilities to take x-rays and do a diagnostic ultrasound for soft tissue involvement (which will both probably be negative), but they can also do a bone scan which is a more sensitive measure to look for small fractures that can be missed on regular x-rays. I say this becuase it is a good idea to cover all angles on this, in case there is something serious going on internally that cannot be determined through a normal examination process.  If injuries are caught early, it normally means a more favorable recovery than old injuries found at a later date.

Now, if he is cleared of broken bones or internal injury, it would be a good idea to have him looked at by a local chiropractic physican. Manipulation of the spine and ribs on children is very easy, and requires very litle force.  Often kids will respond to manual treatment in just a few visits. Moreover, if the chiropractor has a laser, it can be used to increase the healing response and reduce pain directly at the site of injury...they are very effective.

Bottom line Jane, he needs to be looked at, and the offending tissue needs to be identified and diagnosed for the most appropriate course of action.  

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net