There are several types of elbow ligament injuries. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, elbow ligament injuries can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from other elbow pathologies, including joint, muscle and nerve problems. Three elbow ligaments--the medial collateral ligament, the lateral collateral ligament and the annular ligament--play an important role in elbow stability, and each of these ligaments can be injured by elbow trauma or overuse.
Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain
A medial collateral ligament sprain is a common elbow ligament injury in athletes. According to the Sports Injury Clinic website, the medial elbow ligaments are located in the inside aspect of the elbow, and they help stabilize the elbow joint. Common mechanisms or causes of injury of the elbow's medial collateral ligaments include impact or trauma, accidents or repetitive overuse. Poor throwing technique in certain athletes--including baseball players, javelin throwers and water polo competitors--can lead to a medial collateral elbow ligament sprain on the involved side. Common symptoms associated with a medial collateral ligament sprain include pain and tenderness around the affected area with palpation or compressive force and pain, along with instability, when placing stress on the ligament. Medial collateral ligament sprains typically respond well to conservative care modalities, including rest, ice, ultrasound and therapeutic taping procedures.
Lateral Collateral Ligament Sprain
A lateral collateral ligament sprain is an elbow ligament injury. The lateral collateral elbow ligament, also known as the radial collateral ligament, helps stabilize the elbow's lateral aspect, or the side of the elbow farthest away from the body when the arms are dangled at the side and the palms are fully turned over. Two of the most common sports in which to injure the lateral collateral elbow ligament are tennis and baseball. Treatment approaches to lateral collateral ligament damage and instability--including ligament sprains and ruptures--vary depending on the severity of the injury. According to a 2000 study by Dr. Frederick M. Azar and colleagues published in the "American Journal of Sports Medicine," lateral collateral ligament reconstructive surgery was effective among elite baseball players, as most of the players returned to their previous level of play within one year of surgery. A 2001 study by Cynthia E. Dunning and colleagues published in the journal Current Orthopaedic Practice concluded that physical therapy of the lateral collateral ligament deficient elbow is an effective method for improving elbow stability.
Annular Ligament Sprain
Annular ligament sprains are a type of elbow ligament injury. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the annular ligament--a strong band of fibrous tissue--encircles the head or the top portion of the radius bone, one of the two long bones in the forearm that connect the elbow and the wrist, and stabilizes the radius in the radial notch of the ulna bone. Dr. Ross Hauser, a Chicago-based medical doctor and the medical director of the Caring Medical & Rehabilitation natural medicine clinic, states that, in patients with annular ligament sprains, examination of the lateral, or outside aspect, of the elbow will cause a jump sign or a sudden muscle twitch or response when the annular ligament is compressed. Hauser notes that annular ligament sprains respond well to proliferative injection therapy--the injecting of a non-pharmacological irritant solution into a joint or structures around a joint to strengthen connective tissue and decrease symptomatic musculoskeletal pain. Prolotherapy to the annular ligament causes the ligament to strengthen, tighten and stabilize the elbow.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Overuse Elbow Injuries
- Sports Injury Clinic: Medial Elbow Collateral Ligament Sprain
- American Journal of Sports Medicine: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries
- Current Orthopaedic Practice: Lateral Ligament Deficient Elbow
- Prolo News: Prolotherapy Treatment of Elbow Ligament Injury
