Arthroscopic treatment successfully treats posterior elbow impingement in an athletic population

Abstract

PurposePosterior elbow impingement can cause disabling pain and limited motion during activities involving elbow extension. Less understood is whether arthroscopic treatment, compared to open surgery, can result in effective management of pain, loss of range of motion, and return athletes to previous levels of activity. This study determined whether arthroscopic debridement is a safe and effective treatment for posterior elbow impingement and whether it enables athletes to return to a previous level of function.MethodsA retrospective review of 36 consecutive patients that underwent arthroscopic debridement of the posterior elbow was performed. There were 34 male and 2 female patients, with a median age of 32 years (17–54 years). There were 7 professional athletes, 6 college athletes, and 23 high school or recreational athletes. All patients had a positive posterior impingement test for posterior pain with extension and limitations of activity. Arthroscopic debridement and additional surgical procedures were performed, and patients underwent follow-up visits at a median 51 months (range 14–81).ResultsSignificant improvements were seen in pain, motion, and function. No neurovascular complications were seen related to the arthroscopic debridement. The mean Andrews and Timmerman elbow score improved from 159 ± 27 to 193 ± 11 (p < 0.01). Thirty-five of thirty-six (97%) patients returned to their previous level of activity, including all professional athletes.ConclusionsArthroscopic management of posterior elbow impingement is safe and effective and can return patients, including professional athletes, to high-level athletic activity. Athletes with symptomatic posterior elbow impingement can be successfully and safely treated with arthroscopic debridement and typically will return to preinjury levels of activity.Level of evidenceIV.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00167-017-4563-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The efficacy and safety of early initiation of preoperative analgesia with celecoxib in patients underwent arthroscopic knee surgery

“…In these cases, arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS) is generally accepted as an efficient and long-lasting therapy. [ 1 , 2 ] To acquire a satisfactory postoperative physical function, and also a high quality of life, early rehabilitation protocol as soon as possible after surgery is necessary. [ 3 , 4 ] However, the overwhelming fear of severe pain from surgery would make patients, especially those sensitive to or less able to tolerate pain, reluctant to initiate early rehabilitative exercise postoperatively, resulting in a delayed recovery or an inferior knee function.…”

Reliable Pain Relief But Variable Return to Play After Arthroscopic Elbow Debridement in Baseball Players

“…Most studies either evaluate a combination of throwing and nonthrowing athletes or have a lower number of patients included. [10][11][12][13][14][15] Our findings expand on the limited data on baseball players following arthroscopic elbow debridement.…”

Elbow Arthroscopy for Posteromedial Impingement and Fixation of Olecranon Stress Fracture

“…They reported 87% good-to-excellent outcomes, with an 85% return to the same level of play after surgery. Koh et al., 8 in a recent paper in 2018, evaluated 36 athletes with posteromedial olecranon impingement who required arthroscopic debridement with a mean 51-month follow-up. The authors noted a statistically significant improvement in Andrews and Timmerman elbow scores with a 97% return to the previous level of activity.…”