Damage to the wrist, elbow and shoulder
The ligaments of the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints are subject to stretching and partial tearing. A complete rupture of ligaments in these places in children is extremely rare, since the weakest point of the long bones of the children's skeleton is the soft, still growing cartilage plates at the ends of the bones.
Fractures are more common in the wrist area, less often in the area of the
elbow and almost never in the shoulder region.
Injuries to the wrist or elbow occur, as a rule, during a fall, when the body weight is on the straightened arm. Shoulder injuries are mainly the result of a direct stroke.
Wrist injuries
The wrist is most often injured. Bunches can stretch, and small bones can break. Fractures of small bones of the wrist are very difficult to determine using an X-ray. Most often, fractures occur in the long tubular bone of the forearm. Such damage is easily detected by an unnaturally curved area in the area of the wrist. Doctors call such damage "bayonet deformation of the wrist".
Elbow injuries
Elbow injuries are most common among injuries of the elbow. The problem is that the dislocation is quite difficult to determine. Often parents notice that the child supports one arm with the other for the elbow. It seems to some parents that the hand is paralyzed. Such a conclusion they make on the grounds that the child can not raise it.
In the case of an elbow dislocation, the palm of this hand is directed, as a rule, to the
downwards, to the floor or inside, to the body. If the palm is turned upwards, it is not terrible, because the dislocated elbow is easy to straighten, turning the palm up.
An elbow dislocation is not visible on the X-ray.
Your actions
To correct partial elbow dislocation, bend the injured child's arm in such a way that the forearm and shoulder form a right angle.
With one hand, grip the elbow and secure it so that it does not move. With the other hand, take the child by the wrist of the same hand and rotate the palm with the palm up, while pulling a few forearms from the elbow.
Some doctors prefer to adjust the elbow with a quick sharp movement, but most experts advise doing it smoothly and slowly.
At the beginning of correction, the child may complain of some
discomfort. Then you will feel or even hear a light click.
Next, you should bend your arm at the elbow. If the child complains of pain, stop the procedure immediately.
When the recovery is carried out immediately after the injury, the pain quickly passes. If the treatment is too late, the child will feel some pain for some time after repositioning.
If, after all of the above steps, no relief has occurred, seek medical advice.
Shoulder Injury
Shoulder dislocation is the most common of the dislocations found in young children. Most often this dislocation is incomplete, hence, it is more correct to call it "subluxation".Known also as "broken shoulder" or "dislocation of loving parents", a dislocation of the shoulder is quite common in children aged 1 to 3 years and rarely - after 4 years.
This injury consists in stretching or rupturing the ligaments that connect the clavicle to one of the bones that make up the shoulder joint. In this case, there is a certain curvature and painful sensations in the region near the end of the clavicle. Often there is an increase. If the description of the injury does not coincide with the classical one, do not try to correct the dislocation yourself: a clinical dislocation of the shoulder can simulate a fracture of the ulna.
If the dislocation of the shoulder occurred a few hours ago, the direction of the arm can be significantly hampered by swelling, and the motionless arm will ache for 1-2 days.
A damaged joint is prone to repeated dislocation for another 3-4 weeks. Be careful.
Take the rule of lifting the child by the armpits, and never pull it by the hand, wrist or elbow.
of other ligaments, but their full discontinuities are extremely rare.
Dislocation is usually due to a sharp jerk of the child's hand or wrist, when the parents try to protect the child from falling. It can also occur when the child is suspended from the wrist during a game or by a sharp jerk at the hands during a fall.
As soon as an accident occurs, immediately there is a sharp pain in the arm from the shoulder to the wrist. Also, the attempts to rotate the palm with the back side forward cause pain. The child protects the injured hand, holds it with a healthy hand. After a few hours, the swelling of the wrist and the hand of the injured hand develops.
The most common diagnostic error is an attempt to evaluate a hand injury as a wrist injury. The story of the trauma and the forced position of the sick arm with the palm turned forward make the diagnosis obvious.
Your actions
Getting treatment for a dislocation is best right away, without delay.
If the shoulder dislocation occurs for the first time, it is necessary to resort to the doctor's help. If the dislocation is repeated, the parents, having already become acquainted with his treatment, sometimes can fix their shoulder themselves.
The doctor will clarify the diagnosis and, perhaps, to exclude the fracture will be sent to X-ray. Sometimes, however, the wrong position of the hand on the X-ray results in improper assistance.
After the diagnosis is clarified, the physician, energetically moving and rotating the wrist of the child's hand, will correct the subluxation until the shoulder is in place.