DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have a 2-year-old daughter who loves to swing in between my husband and me as we walk. But a friend told me that wasn't safe because she could develop nursemaid's elbow. Can you explain the condition?
ANSWER: Sometimes all it takes to cause nursemaid's elbow is a little tug, such as when you're helping toddlers down a step, pulling them back from a dangerous situation or playing by swinging them by their arms or hands. The next thing you know, they're holding their arm close to their side and not wanting to use or bend it due to pain.
The term nursemaid's elbow harks back to the days when a nursemaid or nanny was common. A better name today might be babysitter's elbow. It's also known as radial head subluxation and happens when the annular ligament in the elbow is displaced by being pulled. Because a young child's bones and muscles are still developing, it can take little force to cause nursemaid's elbow.
