Posterior dislocation of the elbow as an unusual presentation after a total hip replacement: a case report

• Main Authors: Periasamy Kumar, Meek Dominic, Crossman Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2008-02-01
• Series: Journal of Medical Case Reports
• Online Access: http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/2/1/38

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Posterior dislocation of the elbow is usually associated with trauma to the joint with a reported incidence of 3%to 6%. Chronic instability is usually symptomatic following the initial injury.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of posterior dislocation of the elbow occurring in a patient while using her arm to lift herself using a monkey pole on the second day following a total hip replacement. The dislocation was reduced under sedation in the ward. There were no signs or symptoms suggesting any joint hypermobility syndrome in the patient. Follow up 4 months following the injury revealed a complete recovery in the range of motion and a pain free elbow. There were no signs and symptoms of any instability.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first time such a case is reported in the literature. It certainly demonstrates that even in the absence of instability a patient can be predisposed to low energy dislocation of the elbow.</p>