Is nursemaid's elbow common among babies, and does it recur?

My 9-month-old daughter fell on her arm and dislocated her elbow. Her GP located it back in the socket and X-rays at the hospital showed there were no broken bones. He told me the condition was called nursemaid elbow. She still isn't moving her arm and having good use of it. How long will it take her to regain control and use of her arm after her accident? Is this common among babies, too? Also, since it has happened, will it be easy for this to recur?

Nursemaid's elbow is a real and quite common condition, formally called subluxation of the radial head. This means one of the bones of the forearm, the radius, slips out of full alignment in the elbow joint. This allows the soft tissues around the joint to be trapped in the joint, causing pain and resistance to movement. Your child's doctor put that bone back in place, releasing the soft tissues. Most children feel relief straight away (and most doctors love to treat this condition, as the cure is so dramatic). Two to three days of tenderness is not uncommon, particularly if the injury occurred some time before treatment. If it's been a week and there is still some pain or limitation, make an appointment to go back for another check. Recurrence is rare. Prevent this injury by always lifting a child under the arm or around the body, not by the wrist or forearm. Never swing a child under 4 by the arms. As the elbow joint matures, this no longer becomes a concern.