At around 9 p.m. recently, a two-year-old girl was playing with her grandfather in the courtyard of their residential community. When they were ready to go home, her grandfather gently pulled her by the left hand to help her upstairs. Unexpectedly, the girl suddenly began crying intensely. She was unable to raise or move her left arm and appeared to be experiencing significant pain around the elbow.
The family became extremely anxious and immediately called 120 for help. The Song Ci ambulance team from the Western Emergency Medical Center Station of the Beijing Emergency Medical Center quickly arrived at the scene. After carefully asking about what had happened, conducting a thorough physical examination, and observing the child’s arm movements, the team determined that the girl had a radial head subluxation, a common childhood injury more commonly known as “nursemaid’s elbow.”
Dr. Song performed a professional reduction on the spot. While gently talking to and comforting the little girl, Dr. Song carefully carried out the procedure. After feeling the characteristic “click” indicating that the joint had been successfully reduced, Dr. Song asked the child to reach for a toy placed above her. The little girl easily reached for it! The entire reduction procedure was gentle and quick. Immediately after the reduction, the child’s pain disappeared, and normal movement returned to her arm. She was able to raise her arm freely and bend and straighten her elbow without difficulty.
Beijing 120 reminds you: The ligaments around young children’s elbow joints are not yet fully developed, making the joints relatively unstable. Sudden pulling on the arm, lifting or swinging a child by the arms, or yanking a child up by the hand can easily cause an elbow injury or dislocation. In daily life, parents and caregivers should never pull forcefully on a child’s arm, and should avoid swinging a child by both hands or roughly pulling on the child’s arms while getting dressed. Taking these precautions can help protect children’s joints and reduce the risk of accidental injuries.