upper limb

Post-Traumatic Elbow Stiffness

intermediate

6 min

28 marks

6 questions

Clinical Scenario

A 35-year-old right-hand dominant female presents 6 months after ORIF of a left radial head fracture (Mason II). She complains of progressive elbow stiffness affecting her work as a hair stylist. Examination reveals flexion to 100° and extension deficit of 40°. Supination is 60° and pronation 70°. There is no instability and neurovascular examination is normal.

CT scan and radiographs are provided.

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Clinical image for Post-Traumatic Elbow Stiffness

Image source: Open Access medical literature (NIH/PubMed Central) • CC-BY License

Questions

Question 1 (4 marks)

Define elbow stiffness. What are the functional range requirements and causes of post-traumatic stiffness?

Question 2 (5 marks)

Describe your clinical assessment of an elbow with post-traumatic stiffness. How do you classify the type of contracture?

Question 3 (6 marks)

What imaging is required? How do you plan surgical intervention based on imaging findings?

Question 4 (5 marks)

What are the non-operative treatment options? What are the indications for surgical release?

Question 5 (4 marks)

Describe the surgical techniques for elbow contracture release.

Question 6 (4 marks)

What are the complications and expected outcomes of surgical contracture release?