Limited Motion of Arms in Uncommunicable Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The study was designed to identify the necessity of radiographs and to decrease overutilization of radiographs in uncommunicable children who do not move their arms. This study provides clinical guidelines on radiographic evaluation and treatment of children with limited motion in the upper extremity. METHODS: The cases of one hundred thirteen pediatric patients under 36 months of age, who had visited the Emergency Center of Korea University Ansan Hospital from January 2000 to December 2001, were retrospectively reviewed. Pediatric patients with upper extremity injuries due to multiple trauma, laceration or motor vehicle accident were excluded. Parameters analyzed were age, sex, mechanism of injury, physical findings, radiographic finding, and injuried upper extremity region. We described focal tenderness and regional edema as physical finding. Each patient without regional edema was classified into an improved or a not-improved group depending on the outcomes after manual reduction. All statistical tests were conducted with twotailed levels of 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 113 patients, the mean age was 18.6+/-0.89 months. The most common injury mechanisms were unknown and traction. Minimal edema in the elbow joint was seen in 5 cases, and supracondylar fractures due to short falls were seen in 4 (80%) of those cases (p<0.05). The improved group was finally confined to radial head subluxation in 88 patients. Although all the not-improved-group patients had received radiographs, no abnormal findings were seen in the elbow. However, clavicle fracture due to fall above or from a level surface were seen in 4 cases (20%) of the not-improved group (p<0.05). No difference of injury mechanism existed between the improved and the not-improved groups. CONCLUSION: Recommand Radiographic evaluations in Children not-used arm with regional edema before manual reduction. But without regional edema, manual reduction of elbow is first. If children without regional edema do not improve after manual reduction of elbow and they are injuried due to fall, children should be assessed for fractures of clavicle.