Review Question - QID 5644

Supervised exercise therapy with static or dynamic progressive elbow splinting over a 6 month period has shown to have the greatest improvement on DASH scores and functional range of motion (ROM) in patients with post-traumatic elbow stiffness.

The goal of treatment in post-traumatic stiffness is to restore a functional range of elbow motion (30° to 130°). Non-operative modalities are considered the first-line of treatment. Aggressive physical therapy has traditionally been advocated. However, the use of static or dynamic progressive elbow splinting with a turnbuckle has shown to provide better functional outcomes. Treatment is usually maintained over a period of 6-12 months. Surgery is considered when nonoperative therapy fails.

Gelinas et al. treated 22 patients with an elbow contracture using a static progressive turnbuckle splint for a mean of 4.5 +/- 1.8 months. The mean range of motion improved from 32 - 108, to 26 - 127 degrees (p = 0.0001). Their results suggest that static progressive splinting is an effective modality for postoperative elbow stiffness.

Lindenhovius et al. randomized sixty-six patients with post-traumatic elbow stiffness into static progressive elbow splint therapy or dynamic elbow splinting over a 12 month period. There was no significant difference in outcomes between treatment modalities. ROM increased by 40° vs. 39° at six months, respectively. DASH scores improved from 50 vs 45 at enrollment to 32 vs. 25 at six months, respectively.

Illustration A shows an image of a static progressive elbow splint.

Incorrect Answers:
Answer 1: Intra-articular and extra-capsular cortisone injection have not shown to improve ROM in this scenario.
Answer 2: Closed manipulation under anesthesia may worsen elbow stiffness and cause intra-articular damage. Manipulation causes significant swelling and inflammation with tearing of soft tissues, causing hemarthrosis and additional fibrosis in the joint.
Answer 3: Aggressive home exercise program are not effective when formal physiotherapy has failed.
Answer 4: Continuous passive motion machines have a limited role in treating established contractures. They do not seem to improve end-range mobility in these patients.