Risk factors associated with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Elbow Biomechanics

Background:

• Traumatic posterolateral rotatory instability is well-documented.
• Atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability is an underreported cause of lateral elbow pain.
• This study investigates risk factors for atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify risk factors and epidemiological characteristics of atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.
• To compare patients with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability to those with extensor carpi radialis brevis tendinopathy.
• To evaluate the impact of risk factors on atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study comparing 13 patients with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability to 12 patients with extensor carpi radialis brevis tendinopathy.
• Statistical analysis included bivariate and multiple logistic regression.
• Risk factors assessed: gender, age, hand dominance, diabetes, smoking, BMI, corticosteroid history, and symptom duration.

Main Results:

• Patients with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability were more likely to have received multiple corticosteroid injections (P=.05).
• A longer duration of symptoms was significantly associated with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability (P=.03).
• Both groups showed improvement in postoperative pain scores.

Conclusions:

• Atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lateral elbow pain, especially with a protracted clinical course.
• A history of multiple corticosteroid injections is a statistically significant risk factor for atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.
• Early identification and management are crucial for patients with atraumatic posterolateral rotatory instability.