When I was a kid my mother told me that if we broken a bone we would know it, we wouldn’t be able to stop crying. As I had broken a bone as a baby when a cousin pushed my high chair over, I didn’t remember it personally. I grew up believing what my mother said, that if something didn’t keep hurting to the point of crying, it must not be broken, it must be ok, leave it alone and it will eventually get better. Goodness I listened to my own Mommy instinct today though.
My dear 13 year old went on a hike with a friend, her family, and their church. At some point she ran, tripped on a rock, and hurt her foot. They got here a few hours after, she had to carried down the mountain. The Dad said that she was more annoyed with the ice on it and there was no bruising. She got home happy, thrilled with her day, but unable to put weight on her foot. Looking at her foot and seeing that her pain was not her ankle but midway down her foot and that it did by then look a little swollen I asked Hubby to take her in while I stayed with our other kids. Sure enough, two broken bones.
One is a hair line fracture and the other is really not good.
So my mother was wrong, you can have broken bones and not be crying!
While we are on the topic of broken bone myths. Bones are not stronger after they heal either! Milk doesn’t make for strong bones after infancy either! Check out the book “Building Bone Vitality” co-authored by Amy Lanou, it explains how milk and proteins make the body acidic when they are digested and in turn steal calcium from our bones. Instead it is thought we should get more calcium from fruits and veggies! Food for thought right?
