The long-term results after treatment of simple dislocation of the elbow
in fifty-two adults were evaluated with regard to limitation of motion,
pain, instability, and residual neurovascular deficit. All patients were
treated with traditional closed reduction, but the duration of
immobilization before commencement of active motion varied. Goniometric,
photographic, and radiographic data were compiled for these patients, who
had an average follow-up of 34.4 months. Despite the generally favorable
prognosis for this injury, 60 per cent of the patients reported some
symptoms on follow-up. A flexion contracture of more than 30 degrees was
documented in 15 per cent of the patients; residual pain, in 45 per cent;
and pain on valgus stress, in 35 per cent. Prolonged immobilization after
injury was strongly associated with an unsatisfactory result. The longer
the immobilization had been, the larger the flexion contracture (p less
than 0.001) and the more severe the symptoms of pain were. The results
indicate that early active motion is the key factor in rehabilitation of
the elbow after a dislocation.