Broken Arm, Nursemaids Elbow

Updated on October 15, 2011
C.A. asks from Milwaukee, WI
5 answers

My 2.5 yr. old is susceptible to Nursemaid's Elbow (doesn't take much for it to dislocate). She's dislocated her elbow about 3 times in the last 6 months. So when daycare called yesterday to say her arm hurt and she wasn't using it, we said "Here we go again." Especially since they told us they picked her up off the ground by her arms.

When DH got to urgent care, they told him that her elbow was in place, but they could see her earlier break that healed. Um??? We never knew she ever had a broken arm before. They told us if she wasn't using her arm normally by the evening to take her to Children's Hospital urgent care.

At 7:00 p.m., she still had a useless arm so we took her to Children's. They ran more X-rays. They said they couldn't tell how old the break was. The ortho nurse on staff said, "off the record, it looks like a newer break." Her elbow was fine. They splinted her and sent us home with an appt. with an ortho PA for the next morning (all the docs were gone at a conference today).

The ortho PA said the break was in fact old, and healed. And she thought that my daughter's elbow dislocated and then relocated on it's own and the ligament was just irritated from the Nursemaid's elbow. To play it safe, they put her in a full-arm splint to wear over the weekend. We have another appt. with the ortho on Monday.

But my gut tells me something else is up. In the past, whenever she's dislocated her elbow, she's good as new within 30 secs. of it getting re-set. Also, when I held her hand to put sanitizer on it last night, it caused her a lot of pain right where that old break is/was. When you ask her where her owie is, she says it's in the exact spot where the break was, not her elbow. And when she got her xrays last night, her lower arm hurt in that same spot again.

I told my mom about everything this morning and she said my dad was playing with her last weekend and tugged a little bit on her arm and she cried and was in pain. Wish I had known that before I went to the ortho today.

Is it possible she has a tiny new fracture in the same spot? I feel like the ortho RA did not appreciate my theories and just sorta shot me down/didn't want to listen to what I had to say. And I realize I'm not a doctor, but this is just much different than her previous nursmaid's incidents.

Anyone out there have experience with this?? Sorry this is so long!

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K.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son broke his leg twice and you couldn't really see evidence of the fractures until they healed. We just assumed it was broken (cracked, not all the way across) b/c he refused to put any weight on his foot. The MD said it was probably broken even though we couldn't see it. For the record, we did go to his primary, but since the MD couldn't see anything, she said take him to Gillette in St. Paul, which has exceptions orthopedics (kinda like going to Mayo Clinic)

He wore a splint for 3 weeks, but then rebroke it soon after we took it off, so we decided on a cast for two months. Excessive, but I really wanted it to heal. It was during the summer, so no swimming, but we worked around it.

So it's very possible it is broken, but until you see the thicker bone and shading in the xray after it heals, you won't be able to tell. Frankly, is the MD blew you off, you might consider another opinion.

Good luck!! And I once dislocated a little girl's arm (she had nursemaid's elbow). I felt soo bad!!!

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M.D.

answers from Lewiston on

Good luck. Sorry your child is going thru this. We know of several who have had a broken a bone, but it did not show the first day on the x-ray. However within a week, and a new x-ray the break did show up, and was then treated. It is frustrating when this happens. Hope all goes well for you.

G.T.

answers from Redding on

Wow, I've never heard of nursemaids elbow.
Ask all of your questions on Monday and make sure they explain the xrays to you. Hopefully you get some answers. I hope it doesnt give her trouble for her entire life, poor baby.

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K.B.

answers from Tulsa on

I am sorry you felt not listened to. My daughter had this problem and her grandfather and cousins had to be told/yelled at to stop pulling on her by her arms. Kids at school started playing rough and injured it as well.
Most kids seemed to have no problem with this so people often seemed surprised when we said to not pull on her arms or pick up up that way.
I would trust an ortho doctor's opinion as they see it every day.

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

My son had nurse maid elbow. The Dr actually told me to go to you tube and learn how to put it back in myself. We did it every time it popped out he was the same as yours, it was in the pain was gone and used it right after. So yes I would say this is more than just the nurse maid and like another said broken bones dont always show up right away on an x-ray. If your dad was playing it hurt then it could have happened then... one Dr says it looks newer the other says its older. Well how old is old? A week old, a month old a year old... yes its possible to rebreak where you already broke a bone.

Good luck, I hope she feels better!

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