Best Books to Read Tonight

🥇 #1 Priority — Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults, 10th Edition (2025)

• Chapter 40: Simple Elbow Dislocation — full chapter with:
  • Pathomechanics (O'Driscoll's lateral-to-medial soft tissue injury progression)
  • Classification (posterior, posterolateral, anterior, divergent)
  • Assessment, imaging, and outcome measures
  • Nonoperative AND operative treatment
  • Complications and residual instability
  • Surgical treatment of chronic dislocation (reference to Anderson et al. 2018 — operative technique for chronic cases allowing early ROM)
  • Management of recurrent dislocation (MCL + LCL + muscle origin injuries)

Key fact from the book: "In those elbows with recurrent dislocation, extensive soft tissue injuries to both medial collateral and lateral collateral ligaments as well as muscle origins have been demonstrated."

🥈 #2 — Miller's Review of Orthopaedics, 9th Edition

• Elbow ligamentous anatomy (MCL, LCL complex)
• Monteggia fracture-dislocations (associated radial head dislocation → chronic if missed)
• Posterolateral rotatory instability
• Radial nerve involvement in chronic radial head dislocation

🥉 #3 — Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine (Comprehensive Study Guide)

• Acute presentation and reduction techniques
• What happens when dislocation is missed → chronic pain, limited ROM, eventual radial head excision
• Monteggia complications leading to chronic dislocation

#4 — Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology

• Coronoid process fracture as a sign of unrecognized dislocation
• Chronic UCL tears on imaging
• Radiological features distinguishing acute vs chronic

Key Topics to Cover in Your Poster

Bottom Line

Anderson DR et al. Surgical treatment of chronic dislocation allowing for early range of motion: operative technique and clinical results. J Orthop Trauma. 2018;32(4):196–203.

What Chapter 40 Covers (All in One Place)

1. Definition & Epidemiology

• Second most commonly dislocated joint in adults (5.2/100,000/year)
• Classified as acute, subacute (< 6 weeks), or chronic (> 6 weeks)
• Most are posterior/posterolateral; anterior, medial, lateral, divergent also possible

2. Pathomechanics

• O'Driscoll's mechanism: valgus + axial + posterolateral force
• Soft tissue injury progresses lateral → medial (LCL first, then capsule, then MCL)
• Chronic cases: both MCL and LCL fully disrupted + muscle origins involved

3. ✅ Clinical Examination (Included)

• Deformity: disruption of the epicondyle-olecranon triangle (should be isosceles at 90° flexion)
• Neurovascular exam: ulnar nerve most commonly injured; check radial + ulnar pulses
• Vascular: compare arm-arm indices if pulses reduced
• Instability testing: posterolateral rotatory instability (PLRI), varus/valgus stress
• Chronic cases: stiffness, loss of ROM, crepitus, fixed deformity

4. Imaging

• AP + lateral + oblique X-rays → diagnose + rule out associated fractures
• CT if questionable fracture
• MRI only if ulnar nerve entrapment in joint suspected

5. Classification

• By direction: posterior, posterolateral, anterior, medial, lateral, divergent
• By chronicity: acute / subacute / chronic

6. Treatment

• Nonoperative: closed reduction, early mobilization
• Operative (chronic): Anderson et al. technique — surgical reduction allowing early ROM; addresses fibrous tissue, ligament reconstruction

7. Complications

• Residual instability (<10%), stiffness, heterotopic ossification, neurovascular injury, recurrent dislocation

• Volume 1 — General principles, spine, shoulder girdle
• Volume 2 — Upper extremity (humerus, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand) ← Your chapter is here
• Volume 3 — Lower extremity (pelvis, hip, femur, knee, tibia, foot)