HealthInfo Canterbury
Broken forearm
Kikowhiti tāwhatiwhati
The radius and ulna are the two long bones in your forearm (between your hand and your elbow). This page explains what happens when you break (or fracture) one or both of these bones. There are separate pages about breaks that happen at the elbow end of these bones or near your wrist.
A broken forearm usually happens from falling onto an outstretched hand or from swinging arm injuries. Serious accidents, such as car accidents, motorcycle accidents or falls from a ladder cause more serious breaks.
Your forearm can break in many different ways and some breaks are worse than others. It's common to break both your radius and ulna together.
If you've broken your forearm, it will be painful and swollen. It may be hard to use your hand or wrist. Your arm may seem to be deformed because it's swollen or a bone is out of place.
You may just feel pain where it's broken or whenever you move your fingers. Your fingers may tingle or your fingertips may be numb. Make sure you remove any rings from your fingers before they start to swell.
Diagnosing a broken forearm
If you think you may have broken a bone in your forearm, it's important to see a doctor. They will ask about how your injury happened, look at your arm and hand and take X-rays to find out which bone is broken and what kind of break it is. They may X-ray above and below where you're sore to check if you have any other nearby injuries. You might also need a CT scan, which can show a complex break more clearly or an MRI, to show any soft tissue injury.
Self-care for a broken forearm
There are several things you can do to help your forearm heal, whether or not you're having surgery.
- If you smoke, stop smoking. Continuing to smoke will slow down how quickly you heal.
- Do not do any heavy lifting or gripping with the affected hand as this will increase your pain and slow your recovery. You'll probably need some time off work to let your forearm recover.
- Take regular pain relief. The best pain relief is paracetamol (Panadol). Take two tablets every four hours but no more than eight tablets a day. Avoid anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen as they may slow down how quickly your bones heal.
- The more swollen your forearm is, the more painful it will be. To reduce swelling, keep it raised (elevated) above the level of your heart whenever possible. Also apply ice (wrapped in a towel or plastic bag) to your hand or arm above the cast. Do not put ice directly on your skin as this can burn it.
- Look after your cast and take care not to get it wet.
Treating a broken forearm
Some breaks will be treated by putting your arm in a cast. Others will need surgery
On the next page: Treating a broken forearm
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed July 2022.
Sources
Review key: HISHI-13267
