Abstract

Dislocation of the elbow is the second major joint dislocation that occurs to individuals; it can be either simple or complex, resulting from the high-energy activity. Finger dislocation can occur during daily work and sports activity. Improper management of dislocated elbow and finger can result in poor functional outcomes and pain. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of elbow and finger dislocations and the functional outcomes of elbow dislocation by reviewing the previous studies conducted on this subject. PubMed and Google scholar databases were explored from 2012 to 2021 to search for articles related to our subject. The included search terms were a combination of “Elbow dislocation and incidence, Finger dislocation and incidence, Elbow dislocation and epidemiology, Elbow dislocation and functional outcomes.” The inclusion criteria included original articles. A total of 70 articles were obtained; only 9 articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. The included studies were conducted on pediatrics and adult population. The included articles were summarized under seven main titles in one table. Elbow dislocation was reported in seven studies, whereas one study reported finger dislocation, and another study reported both finger and elbow dislocations. The incidence of dislocated elbow and mechanism of injury varied based on the age of the population under study and gender. The most commonly used intervention for the dislocation of the elbow was surgical management. The surgical and non-surgical interventions showed good and excellent functional outcomes.

Key words: Elbow, fingers, finger dislocation, elbow dislocation.