Child Fallen From Six Feet On Head And Spine. Took IBuprofen. Treatment?

Posted on Sat, 24 Aug 2013

Question: My son fell from 6ft onto his head and neck, cpsine lateral view xray result stated prominence of soft tissues nasopharynx and oropharynx and prevertebral soft tissues. the radiologist suggested repeat xray, but we were discharged instead. After 2 Dr s mentioned need for CT to rule out a hematoma. Last MD on duty we were at hospital six hrs or more. The last Dr said Oh ITS NORMAL, my kid is chunky and is a normal thing. But Standard of care says do a CT to be sure no hidden injuries exist and a cspine injury should be determined or r/o definitively. What should I do, my son fell 3 days ago and still cannot look up at all. I am giving IBuprofen around the clock but no change

Answered by Dr. K. Naga Ravi Prasad (39 minutes later)

Hi, thanks for writing to XXXXXXX

If your son is moving around normally (moving the upper and lower limbs normally), then it excludes a neurological injury to the spinal cord.

He could have possibly sustained a soft tissue contusion along with muscle spasm which might be restricting his neck movements.

Generally,these soft tissue injuries will settle down within 3 weeks with rest, ice compressions, analgesic medications etc. You can apply local painkiller gels also.

An MRI scan is preferable to CT scan to exactly diagnose the soft tissue and bony problems in the cervical spine.

Consult a spine surgeon and follow the advice accordingly.

Hope I have addressed your issues. Happy to help for any more clarifications.

Regards

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar