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Elbow Dislocation Essay

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Elbow Dislocation

Involved Anatomy
The elbow is used for pronation and supination and is classified as a flexion extension hinge joint. The elbow is made up of three bones; the humerus, ulna, and radius. Articular cartilage is what covers the ends of the bones and the elbow consisting of two ligaments. The Medial Collateral Ligament is on the inside of the elbow and the Lateral Collateral Ligament is on the outside, these two ligaments are what keep the elbow stable. When a dislocation occurs, the strong connective tissue surrounding the elbow joint gets torn from under the humerus bone. Elbow dislocations can be complete or partial which are characterized by how the tear is torn. Also, there are 2 basic types of elbow dislocations, simple and complex. A simple dislocation is where there isn’t any fractures around the elbow joint and complex is where there is a fracture along the ligamentous injury.

Injury Mechanism
An Elbow dislocation is usually occurred by direct impact. This injury is more common in children and very traumatic. A posterior elbow dislocation is the most common and is described by falling with an outstretched hand onto a hard surface or in sports such as …show more content…

If the swelling is too severe, then the surgery might need to be delayed up to a week. There are two surgeries recommended, but depends on the area fractured. The first one is if the radial head is fractured, can be repaired with or without plates and small screws. If the injury isn’t repairable, they might replace the radial head with a metallic implant. The second one is if the top of the ulna, the coronoid, is fractured then they will repair with sutures or screws. The patient cannot perform any heavy lifting for 6 weeks following the surgery. The first 6 weeks to 3 months, regaining ROM is the key. Exercises are begun after strengthening has occurred which could be after 3 months depending on how severe the injury

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