Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Apr;14(2):211-221.
doi: 10.1177/1758573220957631. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Early functional mobilization for non-operative treatment of simple elbow dislocations: a systematic review

Michael Catapano  1 , Nikola Pupic  2   3   4 , Iqbal Multani  5 , David Wasserstein  2   6 , Patrick Henry  2   6
Affiliations
Review

Early functional mobilization for non-operative treatment of simple elbow dislocations: a systematic review

Michael Catapano et al. Shoulder Elbow. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review aims to elucidate a non-operative rehabilitation program that optimizes recovery based on published approaches and outcomes.

Methods: Searches of four databases from inception to 1 January 2020 were performed to identify clinical studies addressing the non-operative management of simple elbow dislocations.

Results: Of 2435 studies that were eligible for title screen, 15 studies satisfied inclusion criteria. Three randomized control studies demonstrated that early mobilization expedited the return of range of motion, function and return to work or activities, however, resulted in increased pain within the six-week rehabilitation period compared to Plaster of Paris casting for 21 days. Patients returned to work sooner after early mobilization (10 vs. 18 days; p = 0.02) compared to Plaster of Paris casting. In all studies, early mobilization resulted in similar re-dislocation rates of 1.3% (3/237) versus 2.2% (12/549) in those with Plaster of Paris casting as well as lower incidence of heterotopic ossification (36% vs. 54%). No significant differences between rehabilitation protocols were determined; however, the large majority of recent papers utilized rehabilitation protocols.

Conclusion: Early mobilization of simple elbow dislocations results in early return of Range-of-Motion, function and return to work with no increase in complication rates; however, increased pain during the rehabilitation period.

Keywords: Elbow dislocation; rehabilitation; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Screening process.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Risk of bias summary graph for randomized control trials.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Suggested rehabilitation protocol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Modi CS, Wasserstein D, Mayne IP, et al. The frequency and risk factors for subsequent surgery after a simple elbow dislocation. Injury 2015; 46: 1156–1160. - PubMed
    1. Mayne IP, Wasserstein D, Modi CS, et al. The epidemiology of closed reduction for simple elbow dislocations and the incidence of early subsequent open reduction. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2015; 24: 83–90. - PubMed
    1. Grazette AJ, Aquilina A. The assessment and management of simple elbow dislocations. Open Orthop J 2017; 11: 1373–1379. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Birrer RB, Poole B. Athletic taping, part 4: the shoulder and elbow. J Musculoskelet Med 2004; 21: 477–483.
    1. Morris MS, Ozer K. Elbow dislocations in Contact sports. Hand Clin 2017; 33: 63–72. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources