Hypermobility Is a Risk Factor for Nonoperative Treatment Failure in Scapholunate Ligament Injury

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) is linked to adverse outcomes in major ligament injuries.
• The effect of GJH on scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) injuries is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between GJH and outcomes in patients with isolated SLIL injuries.
• To determine if GJH predicts failure of conservative management for SLIL injuries.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 116 adult patients with MRI-confirmed isolated SLIL injuries (2013-2023).
• Hypermobility defined as Beighton score ≥ 5.
• Analysis of conservative treatment failure (persistent pain at 3 months) and surgical outcomes (persistent pain at 1 year).
• Statistical analysis included chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

• 27% of patients had hypermobility.
• Hypermobile patients showed a trend towards higher conservative treatment failure rates (45% vs. 26%, P=0.05).
• GJH was an independent predictor of conservative treatment failure (OR 4.27).
• Postoperative pain rates at 1 year were similar between hypermobile and nonhypermobile patients (56% vs. 45%).

Conclusions:

• GJH is associated with an increased risk of conservative management failure in SLIL injuries.
• Screening for GJH may identify patients at higher risk for nonoperative treatment failure.
• Further research is needed on the long-term postoperative outcomes in hypermobile patients with SLIL injuries.