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Sports-Related Elbow Problems

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Sports Injuries

Abstract

Many sports competitions involve the elbow joint. Throwing, pushing, opposing, and gripping are frequent in different sports. These activities can all lead to significant elbow stress. Acute traumas or repeated microtraumas can affect the joint surfaces, the capsular, ligaments, and muscles, damaging the elbow anatomy and affecting function. Medial elbow instability is a frequent lesion especially in baseball. Acute neurovascular lesions are very rare, while chronic neurovascular alterations are more common. Bony alterations due to repeated stress can cause the onset of clinical situations involving the elbow, such as bony hypertrophy, traction spurs, loose bodies, osteophytes, and osteochondral defects. These anatomical pictures involving the elbow joint basically determine the clinical picture of the degenerative stiff elbow. The arthroscopic technique has been developed in order to have a safe procedure. The use of safe portals and the arthroscopic retractors (developed by O’Driscoll) represent a high quality way to avoid complications till today.

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Correspondence to Luigi Adriano Pederzini .

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Pederzini, L.A., Tosi, M., Prandini, M., Nicoletta, F., Barberio, V.I. (2012). Sports-Related Elbow Problems. In: Doral, M. (eds) Sports Injuries. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15630-4_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15630-4_27

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