Pure elbow dislocation in a child wrestler with underlying hyperlaxity: what is the optimal time to return to competition?

Abstract

Elbow dislocations are often considered serious injuries that can cause a child athlete to miss the entire season in wrestling. It was reported that the return to sports after the elbow dislocation was between 6-12 months in child wrestlers. In some cases, underlying hyperlaxity may have an essential role in the occurrence of pure elbow dislocation without any ligament injury. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy patient who had pure elbow dislocation following falling onto an outstretched hand in a wrestling match. Because of the physical examination findings of the patient indicated the presence of hyperlaxity, the patient was treated by closed reduction, short-term immobilization, and early strengthening of the dynamic stabilizers. This case report's findings suggest that detecting the presence of hyperlaxity in this specific patient group is crucial since this patient group has the potential to return to competitions 6 weeks after injury, unlike patients without hyperlaxity.Keywords:pure elbow dislocation, child wrestler, hyperlaxity, return to competition, return to sports