What does painful lump on arm post injury indicate?

Posted on Sat, 14 May 2016

Question: On friday a heavy elevator door malfunctioned slightly and closed on me while I was exiting. My arm was hit rather sharply--main area of impact was middle of forearm (on thumb side) and shoulder/bicep. Although there is no discoloration as yet, the bicep is definitely tender and bruised. My forearm, however, has developed a distinct lump, very painful to the touch. ( I am a professional pianist)
1) Is the lump something that could signal a stress fracture? Is there anyway to tell the difference between fracture lump and bruise?
2) If I need to check it out, will xrays be enough to see hairline breaks? or is an mri needed?

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
To differentiate between the two, xray is required.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for your query.

This painful lump might be due to haematoma formation(collection of blood). It could also be due to hairline fracture or soft tissue injury. To differentiate between the two, x-ray is required.
X-ray will be enough to see hairline fracture.

I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query.
Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj