What Should I Do if My Child Suffered a Nursemaid Elbow Injury at Daycare?

What Are the Symptoms of Nursemaid’s Elbow?

A young child may not be able to explain where the pain is coming from. The most common sign is that the child suddenly stops using the injured arm.

Other symptoms may include:

• Holding the arm still against the body
• Keeping the elbow slightly bent
• Refusing to bend, rotate, or lift the arm
• Crying when someone touches or moves the arm
• Reaching for toys or food with only the other arm

Nursemaid’s elbow usually does not cause significant swelling, bruising, or a visible deformity. Those symptoms could indicate a broken bone or another injury that requires medical evaluation.

Learn more about the symptoms of nursemaid’s elbow.

Seek Prompt Medical Attention

If your child suddenly refuses to use an arm or appears to have elbow pain, seek prompt medical care. A qualified provider can determine whether the injury is nursemaid’s elbow and check for a fracture or another condition.

When nursemaid’s elbow is diagnosed, a medical professional can use a brief procedure called a reduction to return the ligament to its proper position. Parents should not try to pull, twist, or reposition the arm at home.

Tell the provider that the injury may have happened at daycare and share the daycare’s explanation. Keep copies of the diagnosis, treatment notes, discharge instructions, and follow-up recommendations.

Ask Your Child What Happened

Depending on your child’s age and communication abilities, they may be able to share important information. Use calm, open-ended questions such as:

• Tell me what happened.

• What were you doing before your arm started hurting?

• Who was with you?

• What happened next?

• What did your teacher do after your arm started hurting?

Avoid questions that suggest an answer, such as, “Did your teacher yank your arm?” Write down your child’s exact words and avoid repeatedly asking them to retell the experience.

Request an Incident Report and Preserve Evidence

Ask the daycare for a complete written incident report. The report should explain when and where the injury occurred, who was present, what the child was doing, how employees responded, and when the parents were notified.

Review the report carefully. If it is inaccurate or incomplete, request corrections or provide your concerns in writing.

Parents should also preserve:

• Photographs or videos showing how the child holds the arm

• Medical records and bills

• Emails, texts, and daycare app messages

• The names of caregivers and witnesses

• Notes about what daycare employees said

• The child’s exact statements

If the daycare has cameras, send a written request asking it to preserve the relevant footage before it is overwritten or deleted.

When Could Nursemaid’s Elbow Raise Concerns About a Daycare?

A nursemaid’s elbow injury may raise concerns about negligence, improper discipline, or abuse when a caregiver:

• Pulls or yanks a child by the arm

• Lifts or swings a child by the hands or wrists

• Drags a child across the floor

• Uses the child’s arm to force compliance

• Delays medical attention

• Fails to notify the parents

• Gives an explanation that conflicts with video or medical findings

The important questions are how the pulling force occurred, whether the daycare responded appropriately, and whether its explanation matches the evidence.

Parents can report suspected rough handling, abuse, or neglect to the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.

Contact Our Texas Daycare Injury Lawyers

We know how upsetting it is to learn that your child was in pain while the people responsible for protecting them failed to provide answers. Our team can help preserve surveillance footage, review the daycare’s records and safety history, and determine whether rough handling or another safety failure caused the injury.

The Button Law Firm represents kids in daycare and child injury cases to help them get life-changing results and justice against bad daycares, schools, and companies that abuse and neglect the safety of children.

Call us at 214-699-4409 or contact The Button Law Firm online for a free case evaluation.