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My child suddenly won't walk - or won't use an arm. How serious is this?

Emergency numbers: 108 ambulance · 112 national emergency · Poison centre (AIIMS, 24x7): 1800-116-117

Quick answer: A child who suddenly refuses to walk or use an arm is telling you something hurts - believe them and keep the limb still. Go to the ER now if the limb looks crooked or deformed, your child cannot stand or walk at all, there is large swelling, or the pain started with a fall or injury. Do not force them to walk or "test it out" - carry them.

🟢 GREEN - You can usually watch at home when

  • Your child is walking and using all limbs, just complaining of a sore spot after a minor bump, with no swelling, and the pain is easing over a few hours.
  • A cold pack (ice wrapped in a wet cloth) for 20 minutes helps sore muscles - repeat a few times on the first day.

🟡 YELLOW - Call your paediatrician today if

  • Your child is walking but limping.
  • Pain or swelling is not improving after a day, or keeps coming back.
  • Your child refuses to use one arm after being pulled or lifted by the hand - a common, easily-fixed elbow injury that needs a doctor's quick manoeuvre.
  • Limb pain comes with fever - an infected bone or joint is a same-day problem.

🔴 RED - Go to the emergency room NOW if

  • The limb looks crooked, bent or deformed - treat it as a broken bone.
  • Your child cannot stand or walk at all, or cannot bear any weight on the leg.
  • There is large or rapidly increasing swelling, or the limb is cold, blue or numb.
  • The injury was major - a fall from height, a road accident, or a heavy object.
  • Your child has severe pain with fever, or a baby who screams when a limb is touched or moved.

🆘 SOS - What to do right now

  • Keep the limb still in the position your child finds comfortable - do not try to straighten it.
  • If the bone looks broken, support the limb with a folded cloth, cushion or magazine splint for the trip, without forcing any movement.
  • A cold pack wrapped in cloth on the swollen area, 20 minutes at a time.
  • Carry your child - no test-walking. Do not give food or drink if a fracture may need fixing under anaesthesia.

❌ DO NOT

  • Do not force your child to walk, stand or use the arm to "check" it.
  • Do not try to straighten, pull or massage a deformed or painful limb.
  • Do not apply heat or balms to a fresh injury.
  • Do not ignore a limp that lasts more than a day or keeps returning - children rarely fake it.
  • Do not give anything to eat or drink if you are heading to the ER - surgery may need an empty stomach.

What is happening and why

Children's bones are softer than adults' - they often bend or buckle rather than snap cleanly (doctors call these greenstick and buckle fractures), which is why a broken bone in a child may not look dramatically wrong. The reliable signs are behaviour: a child who will not bear weight or use the limb at all needs an X-ray, not a wait-and-see.

The good news in the AAP's guidance: children's bones heal remarkably well, and most fractures need only a cast or splint, not surgery - but they do need to be seen, set and rested properly first.

This page is for first-aid education and does not replace examination by a doctor. In an emergency, call 108 or 112.

Sources (last checked 13 Sep 2026)

Approved for publication by Dr Anjana Alekhya, MD (Paediatrics) · Based only on AAP/IAP guidance · Published 13 September 2026