What Are Elbow Ligament Injuries, Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow?

Elbow Ligament Injuries or MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) injuries occur frequently in athletes who throw. The MCL happens to be a vital stabilizer, particularly during an overhead throwing motion. Recreational athletes, non-throwing athletes, and professional quarterbacks who suffer from these ligament injuries usually do not need surgical intervention. In manual laborers, javelin throwers, or baseball players, the ligament might need to be repaired in order to restore the earlier levels of activeness or athleticism. 

If the Median Collateral Ligament gets torn with an acute pop, an MRI scan with dye injected into the elbow is usually ordered for confirming the diagnosis. If the ligament of a high-level thrower gets torn, it is usually treated surgically. In absence of a pop, a minimum of 12 weeks of non-operative treatment that includes strengthening of muscles around the elbow should be attempted in order to avoid surgery. 

Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow are two different kinds of problems. The problem is called Tennis Elbow when the tendon issues occur on the outer side of the elbow. The problem is termed Golfers Elbow when the tendon concerns occur on the inner side of the elbow. The conditions are the same, but the areas are different. Although the tendon problem of Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow can be caused by an injury, they are frequently due to overuse of tendons that leads to tendon breakdown, over time. Known as “tendinosis”, this kind of tendon damage means tendon degeneration.

What Are Subscapularis Tears and SLAP Lesions?

The largest rotator cuff muscle is known as the Subscapularis. This muscle has a tendon attachment that is separate from the other rotator cuffs. Subscapularis Tears are tendon tears that result in significant weakness, pain, and often total impairment of shoulder elevation. 

Subscapularis Tears are often part of large rotator cuff tears. Being a vital stabilizer of the biceps tendon, the Subscapularis when torn almost always results in subluxation of biceps tendon.

Subscapularis tendon tears need to be separately looked for intentionally, during an arthroscopic shoulder examination. Fortunately, these tears can be arthroscopically repaired. 

SLAP Lesions or Superior Labral Anterior-Posterior lesions are tears of the labrum adjoining the top portion of the glenoid socket. The labrum is also known as the meniscus of the shoulder. SLAP Lesions result in a detachment of the base of the Long Biceps Tendon as that tendon essentially sources from the top of the labrum. Young overhead athletes, particularly swimmers and throwers, usually suffer from such lesions. 

These lesions can also occur in people from any age-group due to trauma caused by skiing, fall, or motor vehicle accident. A tight shoulder can often pre-dispose to a SLAP lesion in throwers. It is absolutely essential that pitchers allow their throwing shoulder stay stretched. SLAP lesions can be prevented by using the sleeper stretch, on pitchers. Symptoms of these lesions typically are pain, tightness, and soreness in the outside or back of the shoulder. There might be a catching or snapping sensation occasionally. 

What Are Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Injuries and Skier’s Thumb?

A PIP or Proximal Interphalangeal Joint is the middle joint of a finger. This joint can be pretty unforgiving, becoming extremely stiff, when injured. There are varying degrees of Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Injuries. 

A simple dislocation without any fracture is invariably a stable injury. Splinting a simple dislocation can be counter-productive as it often results in stiffness. This stiffness often becomes so severe within 3 to 4 weeks that nothing less than a surgical procedure is able to restore motion. What is often not realized is that a finger bone heals fast. If a joint bears a fracture that is significant, the injury can essentially turn irreparable within just 3 weeks. This is why a hand surgeon should be consulted quickly after Proximal Interphalangeal (PIP) Joint Injuries. 

Skier’s thumb, which was previously known as Gamekeeper’s Thumb, is an injury whose present principal cause is skiing, resulting in the change in name. This injury is suffered by the Ulnar Collateral ligament of the MP or Metacarpophalangeal Joint of the thumb, which is the sturdy joint that attaches the thumb to the hand. Ligaments are structures functioning as joint stabilizers. Each finger joint has a ligament that stabilizes the joint. 

Skier’s thumb is often the result of a fall onto the thumb, particularly when the thumb is harshly bent back by a ski pole, the ground, or anything that stresses the Ulnar Collateral ligament by pulling the thumb away from the hand.