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Dislocated
elbow rehabilitation
Strengthening
exercises
Alternative
exercises
How
long will the effects of my injury last?
When
can I return to my sport or activity?
Read
more about dislocated elbows
Dislocated elbow rehabilitation
As an athlete,
your number one concern is getting back to full strength as soon as possible
so that you can return to training and competition. That is why appropriate
rehabilitation is extremely important. Rehabilitation for a dislocated
elbow often includes the following:
- reduce activity
during the acute phase
- ice injury multiple
times per day
- compression of
the injured shoulder with a secure wrap or ACE bandage
- elevation of the
injured shoulder above heart level
- use anti-inflammatory
medications such as ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and speed up recovery
Strengthening Exercises
The major objectives of rehabilitation from a dislocated elbow are to
increase flexibility, obtain pain-free range of motion, and strengthen
the muscles of the arm. In severe cases, you should avoid activity that
causes elbow pain altogether. In these cases, you can still maintain cardiovascular
fitness by cycling, unless otherwise prescribed by your doctor.
Rehabilitative exercises
should be performed on both sides of the body to maintain symmetry in
the strength and range of motion of the arms. In many individuals, the
tendency to dislocate an elbow is present on both sides, so doing these
exercises to increase the pain-free range of motion and improve strength
of both arms may help prevent injury to either elbow.
Rehabilitation exercises
often prescribed by your doctor may include:
- Wrist flexor stretch
Extend affected arm forward with palm up and elbow straight. Place fingers
and palm of opposite hand across palm and fingers of the extended hand
and draw back with it until stretch is felt in the forearm. Hold this
position for 3 to 5 seconds, then relax for 3 to 5 seconds. Perform
this exercise 10 times.
- Wrist extensor
stretch
Extend affected arm forward with palm down, elbow straight, and fingers
slightly curled. Grasp the affected side hand with other hand and draw
affected side hand down until stretch is felt in the forearm. Hold this
position from 3 to 5 seconds, then relax for 3 to 5 seconds. Perform
this exercise 10 times.
- Pronation/Suppination
stretch
Extend affected arm forward in a hand-shaking position with palm facing
up. Slowly rotate the hand from a palm-up position to a palm-down position.
Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and then rotate back. Perform this exercise
10 times. When you work your way up to strength training, you may use
a small weight while rotating the hand and wrist.
- Tricep stretch
Stand erect with feet at about shoulder width. Raise injured arm at
the shoulder with elbow bent and place the forearm behind the head.
Grasp the injured elbow with opposite hand and draw it toward the center
of the body until stretch is felt. Hold this position for 3 to fi5ve
seconds, then relax for 3 to 5 seconds. Perform this exercise 10 times.
- Bicep stretch
Stand erect with arms raised to shoulder height and palms up. Press
arms backward until stretch is felt. Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds,
then relax for 3 to 5 seconds. Perform this exercise 10 times. The bicep
is stretched by this exercise as well as the muscles of the shoulder
and upper chest.
- Strengthening exercises
The following exercises develop strength of the muscles of the forearm
and upper arm. To maintain symmetry of the arms in terms of strength
and appearance, perform these strength exercises with the uninjured
arm as well as the injured arm.
- Wrist extension
Sit in a chair with forearm resting on the end of a table, palm down.
Grasp a light weight dumbbell and raise the weight up as high as possible
while maintaining contact with the table top. Hold this position for
3 to 5 seconds. Relax for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 to
10 times. Substitute a heavier dumbbell as strength increases.
- Arm curls
Either standing or sitting, grasp a 2- to 4-pound dumbbell in one hand.
With palm up, flex elbow and draw the dumbbell up to the same side shoulder
while maintaining erect posture. Do not bend at the waist or swing the
dumbbell. Lower dumbbell slowly and with control to the starting position.
Repeat this exercise 10 times. Use a heavier dumbbell as strength increases.
Alternative exercises
During the period when normal training should be avoided, alternative
exercises may be used. These activities should not require any actions
that create or intensify pain at the site of injury. They include:
How long will the
effects of my injury last?
Ligaments and tendons are the structures that suffer the main injury in
most elbow dislocations, and often these tissues take longer to completely
heal.
You can probably expect
to experience pain upon certain movements of the arm, swelling, and discoloration
for six weeks. But, it's not unusual for symptoms of the dislocation,
particularly pain upon forceful movements of the arm, to last as long
as 12 weeks. To some extent, the time to fully recover is influenced by
your dedication to your rehabilitation program.
When can I return
to my sport or activity?
Return to full participation should be avoided until you are symptom free
and can perform all skills and other requirements of your sport without
pain. To return earlier is to invite further injury to the elbow, making
subsequent dislocations more likely. This is especially true when the
sport involves heavy contact, such as in football
or rugby.
Generally, the athlete
who wishes to return to a contact sport should expect to be out of action
for 6 to 12 weeks. Again, the time to return to full activity depends
on the dedication toward your rehabilitation program.
Remember: the goal
of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as
is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury,
which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at
a different rate. Return to your activity is determined by how soon your
dislocated elbow recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since
your injury occurred.
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