Elbow Stiffness Imaging: A Practical Diagnostic and Pretherapeutic Approach

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Elbow stiffness causes significant disability, affecting daily activities, recreation, and work.
• The elbow joint's complex anatomy and biomechanics make it prone to stiffness.
• Accurate diagnosis of the varied etiologies of elbow stiffness is challenging but essential for optimal treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current classification systems for elbow stiffness.
• To evaluate various diagnostic imaging techniques for elbow joint stiffness.
• To propose a diagnostic algorithm for imaging elbow stiffness.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on elbow stiffness classification and imaging.
• Analysis of imaging findings in normal and stiff elbows.
• Development of a diagnostic algorithm based on imaging modalities.

Main Results:

• There is a lack of consensus on the optimal imaging workup for elbow stiffness.
• Imaging plays a key role in determining the cause of stiffness, identifying concomitant abnormalities.
• The article provides report checklists and clarifies the role of each imaging method.

Conclusions:

• Accurate diagnosis of elbow stiffness etiology is paramount for guiding treatment decisions.
• A standardized diagnostic algorithm incorporating various imaging techniques is proposed.
• Improved imaging protocols can enhance patient management for elbow stiffness.