Elbow Extension
In the current climate of managed care and rationing of health care resources, several studies have been undertaken in an attempt to reduce the number of radiologic tests used to evaluate bone injuries of various anatomic sites. Rules for making clinical decisions, such as the Ottawa ankle and knee rules, have been validated in clinical practice and have led to a decrease in unnecessary radiographs. To date, only 1 published report has studied a patient's ability to extend the injured elbow as an indicator of the presence or absence of significant injury. Since most of the patients in that study were less than 20 years old, the applicability of the elbow-extension test to the adult population remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze whether the elbow-extension test could be used as a sensitive screening test in determining bone/joint injury at the elbow joint.
In the current climate of managed care and rationing of health care resources, several studies have been undertaken in an attempt to reduce the number of radiologic tests used to evaluate bone injuries of various anatomic sites. Rules for making clinical decisions, such as the Ottawa ankle and knee rules, have been validated in clinical practice and have led to a decrease in unnecessary radiographs. To date, only 1 published report has studied a patient's ability to extend the injured elbow as an indicator of the presence or absence of significant injury. Since most of the patients in that study were less than 20 years old, the applicability of the elbow-extension test to the adult population remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze whether the elbow-extension test could be used as a sensitive screening test in determining bone/joint injury at the elbow joint.