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The monkey bars claim another victim
Filed under: Big Kids, Places To Go, Health & Safety: Babies
Today, when my phone rang and the caller i.d. indicated it was Ellie's school calling, I immediately feared the worst. Before I even said hello, a hundred scary scenarios raced through my mind. Her teachers understand the panic a call from them can create. If it is an administrative issue, the conversation always begins with "Ellie is okay, I am just calling about..."
Today, the conversation did not start that way. Instead, her teacher informed me that Ellie hurt her arm on the monkey bars. She didn't fall off the bars, but was hanging by one arm when she heard a pop near her elbow. Her forearm immediately swelled up and her teacher feared it was broken.
Turns out that her arm wasn't broken, but her radius bone had been pulled from it's proper position in her elbow. For reasons I don't understand, this is called nursemaid's elbow. It's pretty common in young children, although at six Ellie is a little old for it. The treatment for this can be painful - basically popping the bone back into place. Fortunately, Ellie's bone found its way back home without too much pain and she was left with a fully functional, if sore, arm.
This is our second trip to the emergency room this year; in January, she broke her big toe when she ran full-speed into a wall. Both times, I was acutely aware that the doctor was questioning Ellie directly about her injuries to determine if the explanation I had given was, in fact, the truth. With her back to me, the doctor will position herself between Ellie and myself to ask her about how she got hurt. When Ellie leans around to make eye contact with me, I know it looks bad. Ellie gets nervous speaking to the doctor and wants me to do the talking for her. With a little encouragement she will tell her story, but I am always left feeling somehow guilty.
Of course, I am relieved her bone isn't broken. Ellie doesn't do well with limits on her physical activities. When her toe was broken, she kept removing the bandage and the huge boot the doctor provided to keep it protected. She ran around barefoot and re-injured her toe several times before it finally had a chance to heal. She's been instructed to stay off the monkey bars for a week or so, and I am going to make sure that she follows doctor's orders. I sure don't want to make another trip to the emergency room any time soon.
Today, the conversation did not start that way. Instead, her teacher informed me that Ellie hurt her arm on the monkey bars. She didn't fall off the bars, but was hanging by one arm when she heard a pop near her elbow. Her forearm immediately swelled up and her teacher feared it was broken.
Turns out that her arm wasn't broken, but her radius bone had been pulled from it's proper position in her elbow. For reasons I don't understand, this is called nursemaid's elbow. It's pretty common in young children, although at six Ellie is a little old for it. The treatment for this can be painful - basically popping the bone back into place. Fortunately, Ellie's bone found its way back home without too much pain and she was left with a fully functional, if sore, arm.
This is our second trip to the emergency room this year; in January, she broke her big toe when she ran full-speed into a wall. Both times, I was acutely aware that the doctor was questioning Ellie directly about her injuries to determine if the explanation I had given was, in fact, the truth. With her back to me, the doctor will position herself between Ellie and myself to ask her about how she got hurt. When Ellie leans around to make eye contact with me, I know it looks bad. Ellie gets nervous speaking to the doctor and wants me to do the talking for her. With a little encouragement she will tell her story, but I am always left feeling somehow guilty.
Of course, I am relieved her bone isn't broken. Ellie doesn't do well with limits on her physical activities. When her toe was broken, she kept removing the bandage and the huge boot the doctor provided to keep it protected. She ran around barefoot and re-injured her toe several times before it finally had a chance to heal. She's been instructed to stay off the monkey bars for a week or so, and I am going to make sure that she follows doctor's orders. I sure don't want to make another trip to the emergency room any time soon.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-09-2007 @ 5:57PM
Susan Wagner said...Oh poor Ellie! And poor Sandy! I'm so sorry.
We took Henry to the ER three years ago, because an end table fell over and cut the tip off his toe. And we had the same experience of various doctors and nurses and a social worker asking him what exactly had happened.
Fortunately, he told the same story every time: "My BROTHER knocked the table over on me!" Which was totally true.
Hope Ellie feels better soon.
Reply
4-09-2007 @ 6:03PM
Uly said...It's called nursemaid's elbow because it usually happens with younger children who are being held by the hand by an adult (such as a nursemaid).
Reply
4-09-2007 @ 6:13PM
Cathy said...My middle child got his elbow popped out when he was less than a year old by his older brother "helping" him walk. In less than a year, it happened twice more. The doctors were unconcerned. They explained that some children are just more prone to it than others, but as he grew, he would get stronger and it would stop happening.
Reply
4-09-2007 @ 7:33PM
Ethel said...She won't stay off the monkey bars - I didn't. I was supposed to keep my arm in a sling for a week and not have rough play after falling off the kitchen stool at 5 years - sure it hurt and still does occasionally but it didn't stop me from playing. She will, however, stop from engaging in that activity for some time.
Reply
4-09-2007 @ 9:38PM
Sadaf Trimarchi said...Poor kiddo. Hope she heals up soon. You're right, visits to the ER, or doctors in general are never pleasant. I hope you don't feel too badly that the doctor was questioning as closely as she did.
From my former days in the child protective field, I can say I wish more mandated reporters probed children's injuries and stories for inconsistencies.
They still have the monkey bars up at the playground? I thought those things fell into disfavor these days with the rise in lawsuits.
Reply
4-10-2007 @ 10:01AM
Amanda said...I can only imagine how uncomfortable it was for you to have the doctors question your child like that. I hope I never have to experience that but I can say that if I ever do I will be glad that the doctors in my area are paying such close attention!
Hope your baby gets better soon!!
Reply
4-10-2007 @ 10:50AM
Ann Adams said...I'm glad she's okay. We've had a few of those scares; I guess it goes with the territory.
Reply
5-09-2007 @ 3:23AM
Kym-Berly Barrera said...I can certainly relate. My son was badly injured when he fell not once but twice over a three month period from the same set of monkey bars. I requested after the first time for him not to be allowed on that equipment due to the serious bruising on his back. He was residing in a care facility for autistic children at the time. They didn't listen and the second fall resulted in 6 hours in emergency surgery a shattered elbow 3 pins and 3 months in casts.4 days in the hospital and a fear of hospitals now after all the pain he went through. We are now going past the settlement stages to filing suite. Parents please please please keep you kids off the monkey bars they are very dangerous.Ask the pediatrician what the most common injury is when you fall from a playground! Its the broken elbow. It always requires surgery to fix it. My sons Doctor took one look at his elbow and said so were you on the ladder rack or monkey bars!
Reply