A pulled elbow usually occurs when a child is lifted or pulled by one arm. This can happen when swinging a child around by his/her arm, or when the child stumbles while holding the parent’s hand.
The radial head is the end of one of the bones of the elbow. It is kept in place by a circular ligament. When your child’s arm is pulled forcefully, the radial head may move slightly out of its ligament causing a pulled elbow.