Also known as pulled elbow, a painful injury in which nearby soft tissue slips into the elbow joint and is trapped there. Nursemaid elbow is most common among children under age 4. The injury can occur when a small child is lifted, yanked, or swung by the hand or wrist or falls on his or her outstretched arm. A suspected nursemaid elbow injury should promptly be supported by a sling and examined by a doctor. X rays may be taken to rule out a fracture. If there is no fracture, the doctor will carefully manipulate the elbow joint to release the trapped tissue.
Subluxation of the head of the radius with entrapment of the annular ligament in the radiohumeral joint, especially in a young child after being lifted by the hand or wrist. The condition is acutely painful, and the child will not willingly use the affected arm.