What Causes An Elbow Dislocation?
The elbow joint is prone to many different types of injuries. One common injury of the elbow joint is dislocation. The elbow is the second most common joint to be dislocated in adults and is the most commonly dislocated joint in children. Dislocating your elbow is painful and requires immediate medical attention, and sometimes requires an orthopedic surgery New York.
What is an Elbow Dislocation?
An elbow dislocation when the two bones in the forearm, the radius and ulna, move out of place from the humerus, which is the bone of the upper arm. These three bones, the radius, ulna, and humerus, all meet at the elbow joint. When the bones are out of place, it results in dislocation, and you may then need orthopedic surgery New York.
Elbow Dislocation Symptoms
If you have dislocated your elbow, you will likely feel severe pain, swelling, and the inability to bend your arm. It is also possible that you may lose feeling in your hand and not be able to feel your pulse on your wrist. This is because there are many arteries and nerves that run through your elbow. They may be injured because of the dislocation. Another sign that you may have dislocated your elbow is the obvious distortion of the joint.
Causes of Elbow Dislocation
There are many different ways to dislocate your elbow. In adults, the most common ways include:
- Falls: If you fall onto an outstretched hand, you may pop the humerus, which is the upper arm bone, out of place within the elbow joint.
- Car Accidents: Typically, when a passenger sees a collision about to occur, they will reach forward to brace themselves. This impact can also cause the humerus bone to go out of alignment.
In teenagers and toddlers, falling onto an outstretched arm is also a common cause of a dislocated elbow. However, in toddlers specifically, dislocated elbows are from pulling motions applied to an outstretched arm. Some examples of this include:
- Improper Lifting: Lifting or swinging a child by their arms can cause the elbow to dislocate.
- Sudden Pulling: If a child suddenly steps off a curb or steps as you are holding his or her hand, it can lead to dislocation.
Types of Dislocation
Elbow dislocation can be severe in the case of a complete dislocation. This is when the joint surfaces are separated. A partial dislocation is also known as subluxation and is less severe. Elbow dislocations are also described as either being simple or complex. Simple dislocations apply to cases in which there is no substantial bone injury. However, in a complex elbow dislocation, there are substantial injuries to bones and/or ligaments.
Complications of a Dislocated Elbow
- Fracture: In some cases, the force that dislocates the elbow can also cause a fracture in one of the bones.
- Pinched Nerve: Since there are nerves that run through the elbow when the elbow becomes dislocated, nerves may become pinched or trapped between the dislocated bones. In the rare case that this happens, you will likely feel numbness in the arm and hand.
- Trapped Arteries: Similar that of nerves, arteries run through the elbow. Sometimes, these blood vessels become pinched or trapped between the dislocated bones or within the realigned joint. This causes a lack of blood supply which in turn leads to pain and tissue damage in the arm and hand.
- Avulsion Fractures: In some cases of elbow dislocations, a ligament that is stretched will pull a small piece of the bone from its attachment point. This type of damage is more common in children.
- Osteoarthritis: If you have dislocated your elbow, you have increased your chance of developing osteoarthritis in the future.
Treatment
Depending on how severe the elbow dislocation is, there are different forms of treatment ranging from non-surgical procedures or orthopedic surgery New York. If you dislocate your elbow, consider it an emergency injury. Immediate treatment is recommended to return the elbow to its normal alignment.
- Non-Surgical Treatment: Realignment is done slowly and gently. This restoring of alignment is also known as a reduction. While waiting for this to be done, pain medication are usually given to the patient. If the elbow dislocation is simple, treatment involves keeping the joint immobile in a splint for one to three weeks. To ensure that the bones are remaining well aligned, x-rays are performed periodically.
- Surgical Treatment: If the elbow dislocation is complex, orthopedic surgery New York may be necessary to restore alignment and repair ligaments. After surgery, the elbow is protected with a device called an external hinge which is designed to prevent the elbow from dislocating again. If blood vessels or nerves have been injured as well because of the dislocation, additional surgery may be required to repair them.
Contact Us
Our orthopedic surgeons at New York Sports Medicine Institute are specialized in upper extremity procedures, including orthopedic surgery New York. We want to help you alleviate pain while also fostering a long-term recovery for the affected joint. If you have a dislocated elbow, do not wait! Contact our office today so that you can get on your road to recovery and live life pain-free.