Increase in joint range following dislocation of the elbow occurs by resolution of the products of joint damage. This resolution is a primary phenomenon and is not the result of the power of the muscles overcoming the tenacity of the adhesions.
At any period during convalescence the joint permits a range of movement, at the limit of which the muscles which could further increase this range are inhibited.
It is suggested that reflex inhibition is widely applicable in the treatment of trauma and that the pain alone does not exert the checking influence previously ascribed to it.