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Get StartedPreparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffDepending on the severity of the break, your family doctor or the emergency room physician may recommend that you or your child be examined by an orthopedic surgeon.
What you can do
You may want to write a list that includes:
- Detailed descriptions of the symptoms and the precipitating event
- Information about past medical problems
- All the medications and dietary supplements you or your child takes
- Questions you want to ask the doctor
What to expect from your doctor
During the physical exam, your doctor will inspect the affected area for tenderness, swelling, deformity or an open wound.
- Broken arm. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00078. Accessed May 29, 2009.
- Woolfrey KG, et al. Forearm. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/140428056-3/0/1365/125.html. Accessed May 29, 2009.
- Geiderman JM. Humerus and elbow. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/140428056-3/846542240/1365/128.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02845-4..50054-8--cesec3_1945. Accessed May 29, 2009.
- Forearm fractures in children. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00039. Accessed May 29, 2009.
- Mathison DJ, et al. General principles of fracture management: Fracture patterns and description in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 29, 2009.
- Petron DJ, et al. Distal radius fractures in adults. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 1, 2009.
- Osteoporosis overview. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/overview.pdf. Accessed June. 1, 2009.
- Bassett R. Proximal humeral fractures. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed June 2, 2009.
- Fracture. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 31st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2007. http://dorlands.com/def.jsp?id=100042439. Accessed June 2, 2009.