Elbow

• Return To Main Menu

What Causes Elbow Stiffness in Sufferers from Cary, Garner, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and the Triangle?

Stiffness of the elbow is common after moderate to severe trauma, overuse over time and post-surgically. Elbow stiffness is considered a common complication of elbow surgery. This complaint can be created by excess bone formation around the soft tissue. Elbow stiffness is best prevented with exercises involving range of motion as soon as it is safe to begin them. Although minimizing stiffness and pain in the elbow is important your surgeon will need to balance the potential for this complication against normal healing of fractures or ligaments being repaired.

Elbow Treatment Options For Elbow Stiffness

Conservative elbow treatment of elbow stiffness involves physical therapy utilizing joint mobilization techniques, range of motion and the utilization of dynamic tension splints. If elbow stiffness and pain in the elbow occurs post injury or surgery, splinting will be most effective if used in the early stages of recovery (1st 6 months). Splinting is meant to assist in the lengthening of contracted soft tissue and will not be especially effective on joint deformity and bony abnormality.

Surgical intervention is utilized in the event of failure of all conservative measures to alleviate pain in the elbow. In this event the surgeon will perform a surgical soft tissue elbow release and can usually perform this with minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery. Indication for surgery functionally is when the patient can no longer flex their elbow to reach hand to mouth or have lost one half of their ability to straighten the elbow.

The particular elbow treatment procedure utilized will depend upon the type and reason for your elbow stiffness. Your surgeon will discuss your particular problem and its treatment with you.

Complications resulting from release elbow treatment are very low and usually are related to sensory or motor nerve damage at the hand due to its entrapment at the elbow.

Post Operative Course of Elbow Treatment for Cary,
Garner, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Triangle Patients

Post surgical care is very important to achieving the best result possible from this surgical elbow treatment. Immediately post operatively you may be placed on a continuous passive range of motion machine (CPM) for up to 5-7 days. This may continue even longer depending on the need. Ranges of motion exercises, passive and active, are instituted as soon as able and indicated by the surgeon.

The percentage of successful results with this elbow treatment surgery is high. It has been documented that 80% of patients achieve fully functional range of motion and 90% achieve motion that is within 10 degrees of fully functional.

For more information on how the elbow treatment specialists at Cary Orthopaedics can help you, contact us today at 919-467-4992 for an appointment!

Cary Orthopaedics serves patients from Raleigh, Garner, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Clayton, Chapel Hill, and Pittsboro, NC