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​ ...PrintEmailFacebookTwitterDiseases&ConditionsNursemaid'sElbowNursemaid'selbowisacommoninjuryofearlychildhood.Itissometimesreferredtoas"pulledelbow"becauseitoccurswhenachild'selbowispulledandpartiallydislocates.Themedicaltermfortheinjuryis"radialheadsubluxation."Becauseayoungchild'sbonesandmusclesarestilldeveloping,ittypicallytakesverylittleforcetopullthebonesoftheelbowpartiallyoutofplace,makingthisinjuryverycommon.Itoccursmostofteninchildrenages1to4,butcanhappenanytimefrombirthuptoage6or7yearsold.Althoughtheinjurymaycauseinitialpain,adoctororotherhealthcareprofessionalcaneasilyresettheelbow,quicklyrelievinganydiscomfortandrestoringarmmovement.AnatomyTheelbowismadeupoftheupperarmbone(humerus)andthetwobonesintheforearm(radiusandulna).Ontheinnerandoutersidesoftheelbow,strongligamentsholdtheelbowjointtogetherandworktopreventdislocation.Therearetwojointsintheelbow:Thehumeroulnarjointbetweentheulnaandhumerusallowsforbendingoftheelbow.Theradiocapitellarjoint,madeupoftheradiusandpartofthehumerus,allowsforrotationoftheforearmsothatthehandcanbeturnedpalmuporpalmdown.Theradiocapitellarjointisinvolvedinnursemaid'selbow.(Left)Thebonesoftheelbowandforearmshownwiththepalmfacingforward.(Right)Theligamentsoftheelbow.Inyoungchildren,theannularligamentmaybeweak,makingiteasierfortheradiustoslipoutofplace.ReproducedwithpermissionfromJBernstein,ed:MusculoskeletalMedicine.Rosemont,IL,AmericanAcademyofOrthopaedicSurgeons,2003.DescriptionNursemaid'selbowoccurswhenthereisapartialseparationoftheradiocapitellarjoint.Becauseayoungchild'sligaments—thestrongtissuesthatattachbonestoeachother—arenotfullyformed,evenamildforceonthejointmaycauseittoshift,orpartiallydislocate.Theannularligamentsurroundstheradiusandmaybeparticularlylooseinsomeyoungchildren,whichmayleadtonursemaid'selbowrecurringoverandoveragain.RelatedArticlesDiseases&ConditionsEl