Paediatric Sports Elbow Injuries

“Floating elbow” injuries of the arm traditionally represent a combination of humeral shaft and forearm fractures which require anatomic rigid open reduction and internal fixation of all fractures to allow for early range of motion exercises of the elbow. There are published variants of the floating elbow injury which include ipsilateral diaphyseal humeral fracture, proximal ulna fracture with proximal radioulnar joint disruption, and ipsilateral diaphyseal humeral fracture with elbow dislocation and both bones forearm fracture. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman whose left arm became caught between the side of a waterslide and adjacent rocks at a park. She sustained a torsional and axial loading injury to her left upper extremity resulting in ipsilateral humeral shaft and Galeazzi fractures. The combination of ipsilateral humeral shaft and Galeazzi fractures resulted in a rare floating elbow variant. Prompt open reduction and internal fixation of both fractures and early range of motion of the elbow and wrist resulted in an excellent clinical and radiographic result. Floating elbow injuries and their variants should be promptly recognized as early anatomic reduction, and rigid internal fixation can allow for good elbow function with minimization of stiffness.

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Elbow injuries in throwing athletes: developments since February 2004

Current Opinion in Orthopedics ◽

10.1097/01.bco.0000170483.22448.5e ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 271-275

Author(s):

Christopher S Raffo ◽

Suzanne L Miller

Keyword(s):

Elbow Injuries

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The Pedicled Reverse-Flow Lateral Arm Flap for Coverage of Complex Traumatic Elbow Injuries

Annals of Plastic Surgery ◽

10.1097/sap.0b013e318248b627 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 37-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Clinton S. Morrison ◽

Stephen R. Sullivan ◽

Reena A. Bhatt ◽

Johnny T. Chang ◽

Helena O. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Reverse Flow ◽

Lateral Arm Flap ◽

Elbow Injuries

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Age-Specific Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Humeral Medial Epicondyle Apophysitis and Osteochondritis Dissecans: Ultrasonographic Assessment of 4249 Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967117707703 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 232596711770770 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Kenichi Otoshi ◽

Shinichi Kikuchi ◽

Kinshi Kato ◽

Ryohei Sato ◽

Takahiro Igari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Osteochondritis Dissecans ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Medial Epicondyle ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Elbow Pain ◽

Elbow Injuries ◽

Bony Healing ◽

History Of ◽

Study Participants ◽

Ultrasonographic Assessment

Background: Traction apophysitis of medial epicondyle (MEC) lesions and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum are common elbow injuries in adolescent baseball players. However, the age-specific prevalence of these pathologies and their influence on elbow pain remain unknown. Purpose: To investigate the age-specific prevalence of each MEC lesion and capitellar OCD and to identify the incidence of elbow pain in each condition. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Study participants consisted of 4249 baseball players aged 6 to 17 years. A questionnaire was used to assess history of elbow pain, and morphological changes of the elbow joint were assessed using ultrasonography. Results: Regarding MEC lesions, fragmented (FG) and irregular (IR) lesions both reached their greatest respective prevalence at 11 to 12 years of age. After 14 years of age, IR decreased sharply, whereas FG was maintained at approximately 10%. Hypertrophic (HT) lesions increased sharply, reaching over 50% at 16 years of age, while there was a decrease in IR and FG lesions in the same age group. The prevalence of capitellar OCD remained the same (approximately 2%) throughout all ages except for in players aged 7 to 8 years (>7%). Players with MEC lesions had significantly greater prevalence of a history of elbow pain compared with those without (68.0% vs 39.1%) and were at a significantly greater risk for FG lesions (odds ratio [OR], 4.04; 95% CI, 3.16-5.22) compared with IR (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 2.44-4.27) and HT lesions (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.75-2.36). Players with capitellar OCD also had a significantly greater risk of a history of elbow pain (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.40-4.11). Conclusion: Controlling the amount of practice and its intensity according to the condition of each player in the preadolescent and adolescent periods may be important in accelerating bony healing and decreasing preventable elbow pain in adulthood.

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An analysis of pre-season risk factors for low back injury in high-school baseball pitchers: a prospective study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90988-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kurumi Nakase ◽

Hitoshi Shitara ◽

Tsuyoshi Tajika ◽

Takuro Kuboi ◽

Tsuyoshi Ichinose ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Shoulder Function ◽

Whole Body ◽

Back Injury ◽

Low Back ◽

Shoulder Range Of Motion ◽

Low Back Injury ◽

Significant Independent Risk Factor ◽

Elbow Injuries ◽

Baseball Pitchers

AbstractPitching motion requires whole-body coordination; therefore, poor control of the lower extremities, pelvis and trunk may cause shoulder and elbow injuries. However, few studies have described the relationship between the shoulder joint function and low back injury in high-school baseball pitchers. A total of 128 healthy high school pitchers underwent pre-season medical checkups, where their shoulder range of motion and shoulder strength were measured. The participants completed a self-recorded daily questionnaire regarding the presence of low back pain. Pitchers were divided into injured and non-injured groups. Low back injury was observed in 13 participants (13.4%). In the injured group, horizontal adduction on the dominant shoulder was significantly less than in the non-injured group. A logistic regression analysis showed that horizontal adduction on the dominant side was a significant independent risk factor for low back injury during the season. It is important to recognize that restriction of the shoulder function not only causes shoulder and elbow injuries but can also risk low back injury.

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