Explaining the problems associated with pulling elbow in children

  Pulled elbow, also known as radial head subluxation, is a common orthopedic injury in children, mostly seen in children aged 2 to 3 years, the youngest being a 2-month-old infant, rare after the age of 5 years, rare after the age of 7 years, 60 to 65% in girls, and 70% in left-sided pulled elbow.  Because the radial head of young children has not yet developed like the disc-shaped radial head of adults, the annular ligament is also relatively weak, when the forearm is rotated back, the radial head protrudes anteriorly, but the radial head is gentle on the lateral and posterior side, under the pull of strong longitudinal (axial) violence, such as lifting the young child’s arm or pulling up with the arm when the radial head slips out from under the annular ligament, after stopping the pull, the annular ligament is embedded in the radial head and humerus This is the cause of pulling elbow.  Most children have a history of being pulled, such as when a parent pulls the wrist hard upward when walking up steps, or pulling the arm when dressing or undressing in the morning and evening. After the injury, the child will cry because of the pain and refuse to elevate the affected limb. Older children often hold the affected elbow with the healthy hand in mild flexion and forearm rotation forward position, and inform parents and doctors of the elbow pain, and can point out that the painful area is in the upper radial (lateral) part of the forearm, and the elbow joint can have a certain degree of flexion and extension mobility in the forearm rotation forward position, but not up to normal, mainly rotational mobility impairment, with posterior rotation dysfunction as the main cause, and the child obviously resists due to pain when rotating. Younger children are often carried into the clinic by their parents, with the affected limb placed on the chest, and physical examination is difficult to cooperate. The elbow joint is normal in appearance, with no swelling, no contusions of the skin, and no protrusion or obvious deformity.  Two maneuvers can be used to correct distraction elbow. The posterior rotation method has long been used as the classic technique for repositioning the distended elbow and is the most widespread method, with most physicians applying the posterior rotation technique, and the second is the over-rotation anterior technique.  In some studies, the over-rotation anterior maneuver has been shown to be 95% successful in first-time repositioning compared to 77% for the posterior rotation maneuver.  The posterior rotation maneuver is applied with the child sitting on the parent or guardian’s lap facing the operator. The operator holds the child’s elbow with the four fingers of the hand opposite to the affected limb, and the thumb should be pressed backward on the radial head, i.e., if the child has a right-sided pulling elbow, the operator holds the child’s right elbow joint with the left hand, and the other hand holds the child’s hand or distal forearm, which is near the wrist joint, in the passive position of the child, usually in the semi-extended or extended position of the elbow joint for posterior rotation of the forearm, to reach an extreme The elbow joint can be reset by passive flexion in the posterior rotation position.  The operator can feel or hear a slight click as the annular ligament is repositioned.  If the repositioning is successful, the child will be pain-free and able to move freely for 5-30 minutes, including touching objects above the head.  Over-rotation of the elbow joint can be preferred to over-rotation or over-rotation if post-rotation fails to reset the elbow. Again, have the child in the lap of the parent or guardian facing the operator. Hold the affected limb like a handshake. Hold the patient’s elbow with the other hand. Extremely rotate the patient’s wrist forward and a slight clicking sound can be felt or heard as the ligaments are reset.  If the repositioning is successful, the child will be pain-free and able to move freely for 5-30 minutes, including touching objects higher than the head.  Most pulled elbows can be successfully repositioned in a single attempt. If the initial repositioning fails, repositioning can be tried again or with a different repositioning technique. If repositioning is not possible after 3-4 attempts, i.e., if the child does not want to move the limb voluntarily after several attempts, the fracture should be reexamined carefully from the shoulder to the fingers and imaging should be performed to rule out the fracture.  After a successful repositioning of the elbow, very little care is needed. The child can quickly return to normal activities. However, there is a 5% chance that the dislocation will recur, so parents should avoid pulling on the child’s arm and avoid pull-ups or swinging with the arm, including when putting on and taking off clothing, for 7 to 10 days after repositioning. For children with repeated dislocations, a plaster cast can be used for 2-3 weeks after the reset to help repair and strengthen the ligaments.  Pulled elbow is very common in young children, and resetting pulled elbow is a relatively simple and non-invasive procedure that can be reset completely and quickly on an outpatient basis. Therefore, if the child is reluctant to move his or her arm after pulling it, and cries in pain when moving it passively, it is likely to be caused by the pulling elbow, i.e. radial tuberosity subluxation, which can be reset by a professional doctor, and will not leave any sequelae, parents can rest assured.