Nursemaid Elbow

[LonArcvarden]

Over the weekend our daughter got nursemaid elbow. She was flat on her back and it has always been a little game to gently pull her to seated with her arms (holding her hands and gently pulling her upright- she loves this game.) I pulled her up and she started screaming, remaining distraught for about 45 minutes. I noticed she wasn’t using her right arm at all during this window and called my husband to come look - she wouldn’t crawl or reach for anything or use her hand or arm, it just hung by her side. We went to the ER and the minute we walked in the triage nurse took one look at her and said “ah, nursemaid elbow ?” I’d never heard of this but she explained that it’s a partial dislocation of the elbow joint. Apparently, this is very common in young children. She reiterated multiple times to not feel bad that the ER sees this all the time and it has nothing to do with how we are doing as parents. I, of course, was in tears for most of this not sure how I could have somehow dislocated my daughter’s arm. The ER was very quick and kind - they gently popped her elbow back in place (which was actually minimal tears from our daughter) and she was immediately back to waving her arm around, trying to crawl and climb, and using her hand. She was totally fine. I am still shaken by this entire experience though and still feel horrible. Has this happened to anyone else?

[Oreganus]

I completely get the guilt. My own kid had nursemaid elbow from a similar pull. For ongoing concerns, I found great care at Dr. Watson orthopedic doctor. Their specialists handle elbow injuries with both non-surgical and surgical options, which gave me peace of mind. Schedule an evaluation if you're worried about recurring issues.