Charlie has had nursemaid’s elbow, which is a partially dislocated elbow joint, 5 times over the past 7 months. It’s a common condition in children under the age of 5, because they have soft ligaments and their bones are still forming. The first time it happened, Charlie was running at the playground and fell on his right arm. He cried for a little bit, but seemed fine. A little while later, we noticed that he couldn’t move his right arm, and he’d cry when we tried to bend it. As long as he kept his arm slack at his side though, it didn’t seem to bother him. Our pediatrician’s office told us to take Charlie to the emergency room to get an x-ray in case it was broken. A couple of hours later while we were at the pediatric emergency ward, Charlie’s arm popped back into place by itself and he was perfectly fine as if nothing had happened.


Hanging is one of Charlie’s favorite activities!

Nursemaid’s elbow sometimes fixes itself, and that was the case the first 4 times it happened to Charlie. His elbow just popped back into place after a couple of hours. It always happens in his right arm, but we’re never sure of the cause because it never happens after a fall or injury. We’re also very careful about pulling his hands or swinging him by his arms, because those are the most common ways to get nursemaid’s elbow. But even though it looks bad, as long as he doesn’t bend his arm, it doesn’t seem to bother him. Some kids like Charlie are just prone to nursemaid’s elbow.

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Wednesday evening before his bath, we noticed that Charlie had nursemaid’s elbow yet again — the fifth time this year! Since it happens so frequently, we weren’t alarmed. But 24 hours later he still couldn’t move his arm, which is the longest his nursemaid’s elbow ever lasted. So Mr. Bee watched these youtube videos on how to fix nursemaid’s elbow (you seriously gotta love youtube how-to’s), and popped Charlie’s elbow back into place during last night’s bath by bending his elbow. He felt a pop, and within a couple of minutes, Charlie could move his arm again! We wouldn’t have attempted this ourselves, but our pediatrician actually showed us how to do it because Charlie is so prone to nursemaid’s elbow.

Charlie was still favoring his left arm this morning, but he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. If you find that your LO can’t move one of their arms, they just may have nursemaid’s elbow. You should definitely get it checked out by a doctor the first time it happens to make sure nothing is broken. But if your child gets nursemaid’s elbow once, they’re very likely to get it again. Charlie is always a little trooper about it though, and it’s a lot scarier than it sounds. It’s just sad to see him playing with one arm!

Has your LO ever had nursemaid’s elbow?

*The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and is for education purposes only.  Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.