Nurse’s elbow is a common injury in children aged one to four, caused by pulling or lifting them by the arm. Symptoms include pain and reluctance to use the affected arm. Treatment includes applying ice, using a sling, and seeking medical attention if necessary. The injury is more common in girls and on the left side.
Nurse’s elbow is a common injury among children between the ages of one and four in which the elbow partially dislocates and the forearm slips from its normal position in the elbow joint. The main causes of injury include pulling the child by the arm, the child falling while being held by the hand, lifting the child by the arm or swinging a child by the arm(s).
It happens frequently in children because their joints and ligaments are not particularly strong and they are more prone to this type of injury. By age five, the ligaments and joints are usually stronger, and the incidence of nurse’s elbow decreases. Girls tend to have a slightly higher risk of getting nurse’s elbow, and both genders tend to have it on the left side more often than the right.
Nurse’s elbow, which can also be referred to as radial head luxation, pulled elbow, elbow subluxation, dislocated elbow, and baby elbow, is not an unusual childhood injury, considering how much babies are lifted by their arms. Parents dealing with tantrum-throwing children may accidentally inflict the injury by grabbing onto their child’s arm as he throws himself to the ground. Symptoms of nurse’s elbow include pain in the elbow, which will most likely show up in the forearm. Parents often mistake a nurse’s elbow for an arm injury because a crying baby can indicate pain in the arm. The child will not want to use his arm and will keep it slightly bent against his stomach. Although he may use his shoulder, he will most likely avoid using his elbow.
You should immediately apply ice to the affected elbow, carefully place the arm in a sling, and call your doctor. Your baby may be back to normal within half an hour to an hour and be no worse for the wear. If you think it’s serious and your child isn’t feeling better within an hour, you may want to visit the doctor or emergency room. It may be necessary to treat nurse’s elbow by fixing the dislocated joint. However, unless the child shows further symptoms, x-rays and further treatment are usually unnecessary. While there is a slight chance of nursemaid elbow recurring in the weeks following the initial injury, your child should make a full recovery and eventually grow up to be predisposed to it.
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