What is Nursemaid's Elbow?: Causes and Symptoms

Nursemaid's elbow is a common injury of early childhood. It is sometimes referred to as "pulled elbow" because it occurs when a child's elbow is pulled and dislocates. The medical term for the injury is "radial head subluxation." Because a young child's bones and muscles are still developing, it typically takes very little force to pull the bones of the elbow out of place, making this injury very common. It occurs most often in children ages 1 to 4, but can happen any time from birth up to age 6 or 7 years old. Although the injury may cause initial pain, a doctor or other healthcare professional can easily reset the elbow, quickly relieving any discomfort and restoring arm movement.


Source

Causes
Nursemaid's elbow usually happens in kids 1 to 4 years old. Their ligaments (the elastic-like bands that hold bones together) are a bit loose. So it can be easy for a ligament in the elbow to slip into the joint and get stuck. Nursemaid's elbow can happen with just a small amount of force. For example:

• Pulling a child up by the hands can put stress on the elbows. Never pick up a toddler or infant by the hands or wrists, but lift under the armpits.
• Swinging a toddler by holding the hands or wrists can put stress on the elbow joint and should be avoided.

Symptoms
Because moving the injured arm may be painful, the primary symptom of nursemaid's elbow is that the child will hold the arm still at his or her side, and refuse to bend the elbow or use the arm.