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Review
. 2021 Apr 20:18:30-37.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.04.010. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Injuries associated with arm wrestling: A narrative review

Darren Patrick Moloney  1   2   3 , Iain Feeley  3 , Andrew J Hughes  3 , Khalid Merghani  3 , Eoin Sheehan  3 , Muiris Kennedy  3
Affiliations
Review

Injuries associated with arm wrestling: A narrative review

Darren Patrick Moloney et al. J Clin Orthop Trauma. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum regarding previously published articles.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021 Jul 30;20:101539. doi: 10.1016/j.jcot.2021.101539. eCollection 2021 Sep. J Clin Orthop Trauma. 2021. PMID: 34405084 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Objective: Arm wrestling is common sport amongst amateur enthusiasts. Multiple injuries are described as a result of the sport. The authors present a narrative review of the common injuries associated with the sport.

Design: Systematic review with a critical appraisal of the literature and a narrative review of the injuries associated with arm wrestling.

Data sources: Seven electronic databases were systematically searched using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms as follows. Arm wrestling, Indian Wrestling, Fractures, Injury, Ligament Injury with Boolean search terms "AND". An extensive review of orthopaedic textbooks was also performed.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Inclusion criteria were publications which included patients who suffered bony or soft tissue injuries as a result of arm wrestling published in English language.

Results: A total of 152 patients was seen across all studies. Spiral fractures of the distal third of the humerus are by far the most common injury reported in the setting of arm wrestling. The humerus fails due torsional and bending stresses. 23% were complicated by medial butterfly fragment and the incidence of radial nerve palsy was 23%. Fracture patterns differ in the skeletally immature arm wrestler, who show an increased incidence of medial humeral epicondyle fractures. We also report on the atypical fracture and soft tissue injury patterns that present.

Keywords: Arm wrestling; Humerus fracture; MeSH, Medical Subject Headings; Medial epicondyle fracture; Skanderbeg; Trauma.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Holstein Lewis fracture in a 22-year-old arm wrestler.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PRISMA flowchart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. World Arm-Wreslting Federation ©2016 WORLD ARMWRESTLING FEDERATION (WAF) Official All rights reserved. 2020. http://www.waf-armwrestling.com/
    1. Federation USA. 2020. https://usaf-armwrestling.com/
    1. Mayfield C.K., Egol K.A. Humeral fractures sustained during arm wrestling: a retrospective cohort analysis and review of the literature. Orthopedics. 2018;41(2):e207–e210. - PubMed
    1. Demir M.C., Ipek A.B., Özdamar Y., Karaca M.A. A spiral fracture of the humeral shaft due to arm wrestling. Med dello Sport. 2018;71(4):636–641.

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