The elbow is where the radius, ulna, and humerus bones meet. An elbow fracture is a break in one or more of these bones.

The healthcare provider put a splint on your child’s arm. A splint is a support that helps protect a broken bone or injured joint and keeps it from moving while it heals.

In a few days, an orthopedic specialist (bone doctor) may replace the splint with a cast. Most elbow fractures heal well when the arm is protected and follow-up care instructions are followed carefully. Rarely, other treatments are needed.

General Care

• Follow any special instructions from your healthcare provider about wearing the splint.
• Have your child avoid gym class, sports, and playground equipment until the orthopedic specialist says it's OK.
• If given a sling, your child should use it when up and walking around. Do not let your child wear the sling while sleeping.
• For pain and swelling:
  • Prop up the arm on pillows when your child is sitting down or sleeping. 
  • Remind your child to wiggle the uninjured fingers and the thumb to keep blood circulating normally.
  • When your child is awake, put ice in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel on the arm for 20 minutes every three hours for up to two days. Don't put ice directly on the skin.
  • If the healthcare provider said it’s OK, you can give medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). Follow the package directions for how much to give and how often.
• Follow up with the orthopedic specialist as instructed.

Daily care for the splint:

• Don't remove or change the position of the splint unless the healthcare provider said it's OK.
• Check the area around the splint. Make sure the skin isn't scratched, and the thumb and fingers aren't pale, blue, numb, or tingling.
• Make sure your child doesn't pick at or scratch under the splint.
• Don't put anything in the splint. Make sure your child doesn't put toys, food, or anything else into it.
• Keep dirt, sand, lotion, and powder away from the splint.

Keep the splint dry:

• No swimming
• Younger children can get a sponge bath. For regular baths or showers, you can cover the splint with:
  • Two plastic bags sealed at the top with a rubber band (or tape)
  • Plastic wrap covered with a plastic bag that is sealed at the top
  • A waterproof cast protector
• If the splint gets splashed, blow air into it from a hair dryer on the cool setting.

• Blisters, rashes, or raw spots appear on the skin around the splint.
• Your child's pain isn't helped by pain medicine.
• The elbow or fingers become very swollen.
• The splint is too loose or too tight.
• The splint gets wet, is damaged, or has a foul odor.

Your child can't move the fingers, or the fingers turn white, purple, or blue.

How do kids get an elbow fracture? Kids can break a bone in the elbow during play or sports. Often, this happens when an arm is stretched out to stop a fall.

What is the difference between a splint and a cast? Both support and protect the broken bone while it heals. In a cast, the hard part goes all the way around the arm. But in a splint, the hard part only goes partway around the arm (this allows space for swelling). The splint is held in place with an elastic bandage or Velcro® straps. Splints and casts can feel heavy, so your child may have had a sling placed around the neck and over the splint for support.

If no fracture was seen on the X-ray, why does my child have a splint? The elbow is an important and complicated joint where three bones come together. X-rays can't always show us everything we need to see. Sometimes the broken bone is obvious on an X-ray. Other times, pain in the elbow or fluid collecting around the elbow joint is the only sign of a fracture.