Pulled elbow: a study of 100 patients

Abstract

Pulled elbow is a common condition but may not be recognized by practitioners unaware of its existence. Most of a series of 100 children with this condition were aged 1 or 2 years, and none were over 6 years. An important precipitating factor was the normal recalcitrance of the 1-3 age group. The three children who were over 5 years had all had earlier episodes which may have stretched the annular ligament. The wrist was the most common site of pain after the elbow. A single manipulation was successful in 96 cases but multiple manipulations may be needed.