It is important to choose your surgeon wisely. Thus, patients have time to seek a second opinion regarding treatment if more information or additional surgeon input is desired. Ideally, surgeons like to perform this surgery within 1-2 weeks of injury. Surgery usually takes 1 to 2 hours and can be done on an outpatient basis and patients can go home the same day. In older patents with multiple fractures and poor bone quality elbow replacements can also be done but these are reserved for very low demand patients. Radial head fractures can be treated with small plates and screws in younger patients but in older patients or those with many small pieces a radial head replacement surgery is performed. Olecranon fractures are also commonly treated with plates and screws but some physicians still use wires to fix these injuries. In adults, the distal humerus is usually fixed with metal plates and screws placed an incision on the back of the elbow. In children, distal humerus fractures are often treated with small pins placed through tiny incisions. These surgeries can be combined when multiple bones are broken at the same time. Each bone and fracture type can be treated with several different treatment options. Intense physical therapy for shoulder and elbow range of motion is often required once bone has healed enough to prevent displacement with motion Surgical Treatment for Elbow FracturesĮlbow fracture surgery may be required to fix the broken elbow if the pieces are displaced. The elbow is prone to stiffness when immobilized. One fall or continued lack of compliance with bracing can pull the bone ends apart and result in the need for surgery.ĭepending on health and injury pattern this elbow can take 3-4 months to heal without surgery. Cutting down or quitting smoking and tight blood sugar control if you are a diabetic is important for the healing process. If non-operative care is chosen, regular follow-up care for a physical exam and xrays is important to ensure that the fracture stays in good position and heals appropriately. In patients with multiple medical problems or in whom surgery is unsafe, non-operative care is sometimes indicated even in displaced fractures. Nondisplaced, small radial head fractures are often treated in this manner. If the fracture is nondisplaced, these can often be treated in a splint or hinged elbow brace. However, several types of elbow fractures can be treated without surgery. Most elbow fractures in adults require surgery. Non-Surgical Treatment for Elbow Fractures In cases where the bones have moved out of place, elbow fracture surgery may be required. Simple fractures where the bones are non-displaced usually don’t require surgery. If the elbow is broken into many smaller pieces, a CT (Computed Tomography) scan is often ordered to help with accurate diagnosis and surgical planning. Often two or more x-rays are taken to show the injury pattern. This helps doctors and patients make an informed decision on treatment. X-rays are used to evaluate the location and severity of the broken bone. The doctor will look for any open wounds over the injury as these usually require surgery. It may feel like torture, but it is an important part of the exam process. The doctor will ask you to move your fingers and wrist during the exam. Important nerves and blood vessels run next to this bone and can be injured when it breaks. Physical examination is important in the evaluation of these injuries. It is also an important stabilizer of the elbow to valgus stress. The radiocapitallar joint is a pivot joint that assists in pronation and supination. Any deformity can cause loss of motion in either plane. The ulnohumeral joint is a hinge joint between the distal humerus and the olecranon that provides flexion and extension. The elbow is an important joint because it allows humans to get the hand to the mouth.
#ELBOW BRACE FOR RADIAL HEAD FRACTURE CRACK#
The bones can be broken into many pieces or just crack slightly depending on the quality of bone and the type of injury. What Causes an Elbow Fracture?Įlbow fractures can result from high energy injuries such as car accidents or motorcycle crashes or from falls on an outstretched hand. John Zebrack, MD General Orthopedic SurgeryĪn elbow fracture or broken elbow occurs when one or more bones that form the elbow joint is broken. The elbow is a joint made up of 3 bones: the distal humerus, the olecranon and the radial head. Jeffrey Webster, MD General Orthopedic Surgery Nichole Joslyn, MD Hand & Upper Extremity Thomas Christensen, MD Hand & Upper Extremity James Christensen, MD Hand & Upper Extremity Nikola Babovic, MD Hand & Upper Extremity
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