Imagine a parent innocently swinging around a toddler ... a yank on an 
outstretched arm to keep a preschooler from falling ... a caregiver attempting 
to move a reluctant child by dragging the child by the hand ... a helping hand 
to lift a young child up over the curb or a high step. None of these activities 
is ever intended to hurt a child, yet the result of these specific activities 
send many children with anxious parents and caregivers to emergency departments 
and unscheduled pediatrician appointments each year. Nursemaid's elbow, also 
known as a pulled elbow or a subluxated radial head, may result from the 
specific activities described above and is the most common dislocation injury 
handled by pediatricians. Most commonly occurring in the 1-year to 4-year old 
age group, nursemaid's elbow is easily treated and generally has no long-term 
sequelae.