Nursemaid's Elbow

Poor Princess C.  She periodically gets a condition known as Nursemaid's Elbow.  We first heard of it shortly after her first birthday.  We were trying to teach her to walk, when she suddenly just dropped to the floor and started crying.  It was fairly late at night so we assumed she was just tired and done with attempting to walk.  A couple hours later though, she was still crying.  King and I decided something more than just being tired was wrong, so we took her into the ER.  A few questions, a little twist of her arm, and she was all better.  

Well, once again today (and it's happened many times in between), I grabbed her arm and *pop*, I knew I pulled her elbow out again. I really didn't want to make a trip to the ER if it wasn't needed, so I did just what I'd seen many doctors do.  A few seconds later and she was happy again, and eating a bowl of ice cream (thanks Liz!).  

Despite how common I'm told it is, most people I talk to have not heard of this.  So here is a little run down from  kidshealth.org

About Nursemaid's Elbow

As parents, sometimes it's easy to forget that our active preschoolers — who run, climb, jump and quickly hop up after falling — aren't as rough and tumble as their older siblings. Kids this age are prone to nursemaid's elbow, a partially dislocated elbow joint. The medical term for this is called a "radial head subluxation."

Nursemaid's elbow, also known as pulled elbow, is a common mishap of early childhood. Kids 1 to 3 years old are most commonly affected, though infants and older kids can experience it, too.

The injury happens in younger kids because their ligaments (the elastic-like bands that hold bones together) are loose and bones are not yet fully formed. This makes it easier for some of the bones to slip in and out of place. As kids get older, however, their ligaments tighten, bones enlarge and harden, and the risk of nursemaid's elbow decreases.

While a child with nursemaid's elbow has some initial pain in the arm, the injury does not cause any long-term damage. At the doctor's office, or in the emergency room, a medical professional can slip the bone back into place, causing symptoms to go away quickly.