In general, if the child has swelling in the joint, pain that lasts more than a couple of days, pain that’s refractory to Tylenol or any anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, then that child definitely should be evaluated.
And just because they can use the arm or put weight on the extremity doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have a fracture or something else going on in there.
If a parent is concerned about whether or not their child is injured and should be evaluated, they’re better off bringing them in and getting them looked at and letting them know everything’s okay or “thank you for bringing them in because we put off a huge problem here that could have arisen”.
