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Ligament injury of the elbow: an up-to-date review
Arthrosc Orthop Sports Med 2024;11:6-15
Published online May 1, 2024;  https://doi.org/10.14517/aosm23015
© 2024 Korean Arthroscopy Society and Korean Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Youngbok Kim, Hyo Seok Jang, Dae-Wook Kim, Won June Chang, Sang-Won Moon

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea
Correspondence to: Sang-Won Moon, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5840-3852
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, 875 Haeun-daero, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48108, Korea. Tel: +82-51-797-0945, Fax: +82-51-797-0946, E-mail: moonsw1106@gmail.com
Received September 19, 2023; Revised October 24, 2023; Accepted November 10, 2023.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Because of its strong bony union of the forearm complex, which consists of the ulna, radius, and humerus with the medial and lateral collateral ligament complexes supporting it on both sides, the elbow joint has considerable inherent stability. Athletes and laborers may experience acute ligament injuries from trauma or chronic injuries from repetitive eccentric loads. Another major issue to be considered when treating such injuries is ligament damage associated with elbow dislocation or fracture. The function of the elbow joint is affected by persistent pain in cases of incomplete rupture of a ligament and by overt instability, in cases of complete rupture. Particularly, rotatory instability can cause early degenerative changes in the joint, which can lead to osteoarthritis. Therefore, clinicians must analyze the injury mechanism based on the anatomical and functional characteristics of these ligament complexes using a series of procedures ranging from diagnosis through examination and imaging to treatment and rehabilitation. For this review, the currently known diagnoses and treatment strategies for elbow ligament injuries shall be examined primarily on the basis of the anatomy and biomechanics of these structures.
Keywords : Elbow; Ligaments; Instability; Diagnosis; Therapeutics
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