TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Elbow dislocations in the National Football League: epidemiology and management
JO  - Curēus
A1  - Gibbs, Daniel
A1  - Sahota, Shawn
A1  - Stevanovic, Ognjen
A1  - Franke, Kristina
A1  - Mack, Christina
A1  - Nuber, Gordon
SP  - e19241
EP  - e19241
VL  - 13
IS  - 11
N2  - Background Currently, it is not known how the combined osseous and ligamentous injury of a traumatic elbow dislocation in a National Football League (NFL) athlete affects management and return to play. In this study, we aimed to describe the epidemiology, management, and return to play for elbow dislocations in NFL athletes. <br><br>METHODology This is a descriptive observational study. A retrospective review of all elbow dislocations between 2000 and 2014 (15 seasons) was performed using the NFL Injury Surveillance System (NFLISS). <br><br>RESULTS Over 15 NFL seasons, 82 elbow dislocations were recorded in the NFLISS. Among players who reported surgery (n = 5), players missed an average of 73.8 days of play. Among those who did not report surgery, players missed an average of 36.1 days. The overall incidence was 0.26 dislocation events per 10,000 athlete exposures. The majority of these injuries occurred during regular-season games, in defensive linebackers and linemen, during tackling contact with another player, and most commonly on a running play. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that an elbow dislocation is not a career-ending or season-ending injury in an NFL cohort. Information regarding incidence, positions affected, whether surgical management is utilized, and return to play will help players who sustain and physicians who treat these injuries in elite football athletes understand the impact of their injuries.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2168-8184
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.19241
ID  - ref1
ER  -