Elbow Dislocation. Causes and types of treatment

Posted by Dr Ashu Consul on March 18th, 2021

What is an elbow dislocation?

Elbow dislocation is a very common pathology in traumatology. This occurs when the relationship between humerus, ulna and radius is broken, and the pain that it produces in the person who suffers it is very intense, says the orthopaedic in Delhi.

When the articular surfaces of an elbow are separated, the elbow is displaced. Elbow displacement can be complete or partial. In complete displacement, the joint surfaces are completely separated. In a partial displacement, the surfaces of the joints are only partially separated. A partial displacement is also called a subluxation.

For this reason, we suggest that you consult an orthopaedic doctor in Delhi specialized in arthroplasty and elbow arthroscopy in Delhi, techniques through which elbow injuries can be solved quickly and in a minimally invasive way.

It is important to note that expectations in the case of this injury are very high and recovery occurs satisfactorily in at least 80% of cases.

What are the causes of elbow dislocation?
The main reason for this injury is a heavy fall on the outstretched hand since there is a high chance that the humerus will be out of its correct alignment with the joint, explains the orthopaedic doctor in Delhi.

Traffic accidents are also a common cause due to severe trauma.

Elbow dislocation can occur in sports such as soccer, hockey, skiing, gymnastics, or volleyball.

In this sense, sports practice becomes one of the risk factors along with age (children’s elbows are more prone, so we must avoid jerks when walking), sex (affects more men than women) or heredity (people with looser ligaments).

How is the preoperative elbow dislocation?

First of all, the bones must return to their place and for this an orthopaedic in Delhi will perform a reduction, but not before correctly evaluating the injury so as not to cause further damage. Subsequently, the pathology will be studied to decide whether to perform an elbow surgery that will be necessary in the following cases:

• Fracture of any of the dislocated bones.
• Ligament tear.
• Damage to nerves or blood vessels and bones of the elbow.

In the case of operating on the patient, the team of orthopaedic surgeon in Delhi prepares thoroughly for possible complications with a set of fundamental tools in the operating room:

• Radius Head Fracture Fixation Kit, Coronids, Proximal Ulna.
• Implants to replace radio head.
• Bone anchors for soft tissues.
• Articulated external fixation

What are the types of elbow dislocation treatments?

Orthopaedic surgeon in Delhi proposes two possibilities to treat elbow dislocation that we expose below and that will be useful one or the other according to each case:

ACUTE TREATMENT:

It is applied in cases where there are fractures associated with the head of the radius and / or coronoid and the approach can be lateral or medial. Specifically, this surgery is used to successfully repair radial head fracture, proximal ulna and coronoid tear, and lateral ligament.

Likewise, in this type of treatment articulated external fixators are sometimes used for the following cases:

• Neutralization of the load on the repairs when they are seems weak.
• The elbow appears vulnerable to reluxation.
• So that the patient can move the arm from the first day in a regulated way.

DEFERRED TREATMENT:

The parts that are restored are the same as with the acute treatment but with complications such as scar tissue, partially or totally united bone fragments, little identifiable joint surfaces.

If you have suffered an elbow dislocation and need advice, do not hesitate to contact orthopaedic in Delhi to assess your case, establish the appropriate diagnosis and carry out your recovery with optimal results.