# Dislocating shoulder...fact or fiction?



## PPK (Feb 15, 2007)

My mom works at a daycare and told me about a toddler somewhere around 18-20 months old who got her shoulder dislocated after a worker there picked her up by her arms. Needless to say, she's always reminding me I shouldn't do it to ds. I usually still pick him up under his armpits, but Dh has always roughhoused with him and picks him up by his arms.

So, is this really a common occurance or what??


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## angelandmisha (May 16, 2008)

I don't know how common it is, but it happened to me. My dad and I were playing, I'm not sure exactly how and my shoulder dislocated. I don't remember how old I was(maybe 3 or so), nor the pain, but I do remember exactly the night/where it happened.

Because of this, whenever ds wants to play by me holding onto his hands and him pulling back or falling down, I'm worried and I stop him, I also stop anyone else from playing with him like this.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

It can certainly happen, but I think it's wayyy more likely to happen when a child is picked up (or yanked away, say from something dangerous) by *one* arm.
It happened to a cousin of mine -when being pulled by one arm. It happened to a friend's son last year - only it was his elbow, not his shoulder. Again, pulled by one arm.


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## Incubator (May 11, 2006)

I've been told it happened to my aunt, and I'm pretty sure she was also yanked by one arm. My dad and his mother freak out about my lifting DS up by the arms and tossing him in the air, and he's a pretty heavy little boy, but it's never happened to him, and he's never complained of it hurting.


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## acupuncturemomma (Dec 31, 2005)

I thought it was usually the elbow that gets easily dislocated in kiddos, not the shoulder, but maybe it's both? The elbow thing is called "nursemaid's elbow" and it happened to my DD. She was being goofy (and tired)--I was holding her hand and she was letting her legs go limp so that she fell to the ground with a jerky movement. I had been holding on to her hand tightly because we were right on the side of the road (and she has a history of dashing into the street)!

I know of another toddler who had it happen too. Also happened to our ped's daughter!


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## acupuncturemomma (Dec 31, 2005)

Here's a link.


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## MiamiMami (Feb 1, 2005)

Not sure about the shoulder, but I gave my son nursemaids elbow when he was about 15 months old. I felt so guilty! I took him to the ER and they put it back in no problem


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## acupuncturemomma (Dec 31, 2005)

When it happened to DD, hers popped back in on it's own while we were waiting to be seen at the ped's office. He taught us how to pop it in next time if it happens again. It's super easy to do!


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## PPK (Feb 15, 2007)

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpd...,,3qgw,00.html

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_13_1_1.htm

Ok, asked first, googled later! I found these links...one mentions that shoulder dislocation is pretty rare for little ones. Nursemaid's elbow is the common one.

Ugh, I'm so glad it hasn't happened to DS. I'm guilty of holding his hand and picking him up one-handed if he trips while crossing the street, or if he throws himself on the floor of a store or parking lot.


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## Daphneduck (Jan 22, 2009)

My brother dislocated my niece's elbow when she was three, holing onto her forearms and swinging her through the air. He cried right there in the ER when he found out that the elbow was dislocated, and the doctor told him that he had done it himself, to one of his children's elbows the same way, years before. I know of one other child that it's happened to, as well. My dd likes to walk between me and dh holding our hands and she wants us to swing her, but I am paranoid about it!


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## nathansmum (Nov 13, 2003)

I got a dislocated shoulder as an under 3yr old by being swung around by one arm. not too sure if picking up slowly and by both hands would have the same effect, but I never did it with my two just in case.


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## leighann79 (Aug 4, 2005)

My DH has always been strict about not picking the kids up by their arms because of this. When he was a teen he was helping his little sister up some steps and her elbow came out of socket like that. It was horrible for him and her.







We make sure everyone in contact with our kids knows to not play with them like that. (spining or lifting them by the arms)


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## RoundAbout (Aug 3, 2006)

My 2 year-old is in a gym class where they practice hanging by their arms on a bar, so I have no problem picking up my son like that. But, I make sure its gentle and steady and not a forceful yank.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RoundAbout* 
My 2 year-old is in a gym class where they practice hanging by their arms on a bar, so I have no problem picking up my son like that. But, I make sure its gentle and steady and not a forceful yank.

But it's completely different when they are doing it themselves, because they are engaging all the muscles that support the joint. This is why I don't mind if DH does a game with DS where DS "rapels" up DH's body holding onto DH's hands - he's engaging the muscles, supporting himself.


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## Murph12334 (Nov 12, 2003)

yup very common for the elbow. I'm always careful because my dad told me about him accidentally doing it to my sister when she was little. She decided to dance on a glasstop table and he was trying to get her off quickly so she didn't break the glass and hurt herself.


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## 2xshy (Nov 27, 2007)

I dont know if its just a toddle thing but i dislocated my elbow 4 times before i was 5. I think it is pretty common in toddles/ little kids.

none if it was from being picked up though, just random stuff.


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## alpenglow (Oct 29, 2007)

Definitely fact. The shoulder joint is a shallow unstable ball and socket joint, held together only by ligaments and muscles. If the ligaments get overstretched a shoulder will dislocate (more likely to happen when the muscles relax, eg. child being passively swung or lifted by arms as opposed to climbing up using their own muscle power to climb up).

Repeated disclocations can set you up for longterm shoulder problems. Keep you hands on their trunk when doing any swinging roughhousing activities.


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