Nursemaid’s elbow

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Radial head injury

Radial head dislocation; Pulled elbow; Dislocated elbow - children; Elbow - nursemaid's; Elbow - pulled; Elbow subluxation; Dislocation - elbow - partial; Dislocation - radial head

• Immediate crying
• Complaints of elbow pain
• Refusing to use the arm that is injured
• Holding elbow slightly bent at the elbow
• Holding the lower part of the arm against the belly area (abdomen)
• Moving arm at shoulder but not elbow

If you think your child has nursemaid's elbow:

• DO NOT move the child without first splinting the arm.
• DO NOT try to straighten the arm or change its position.

Apply an ice pack to the elbow. Splint the injured arm in the position in which you found it. Keep the area both above and below the injured elbow from moving, including the shoulder and the wrist, if possible.

Take the child to the doctor's office or emergency room.

The health care provider will examine the child.

The child will be unable to rotate the arm at the elbow so that the palm is up and will have trouble bending (flexing) the elbow all the way.

Review Date: 12/04/2006
Reviewed By: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.