Title: Nursemaid's elbow<br/>Author: Brian Corwell<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/294/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
The classic mechanism for nursemaids elbow is axial traction on a pronated forearm and extended elbow.</p>
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The force allows a portion of the annular ligament to slip over the radius.</p>
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Consider this diagnosis with other mechanisms of injury especially if the exam is not suggestive of fracture.</p>
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Suspect in a patient in minimal distress with arm held semi flexed and pronated.</p>
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A recent retrospective study looked at other mechanisms of injury.</p>
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69 subjects with a median age of 2.5 years</p>
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The most common mechanisms of injury were fall (57%), direct hit to the elbow (16%), and rolling over (7%).</p>
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Some studies note the left elbow is more commonly involved but this is likely due to most guardians being right-handed, thereby holding the child’s left hand</p>
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<fieldset><legend>References</legend>
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<span style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33); font-family: BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Li N, Khoo B, Brown L, Young T. Nonaxial Traction Mechanisms of Nursemaid's Elbow. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2021 Jun 1;37(6)</span></p>
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