Effect of surgical release combined with unilateral hinged external fixation on posttraumatic elbow stiffness

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of surgical release combined with unilateral hinged external fixation in treatment of posttraumatic elbow stiffness,and provide the basis for the clinical treatment. Methods A total of 82 consecutive cases suitable for the experiment were randomly divided into control group(n=40) and experiment group(n=42);the patients in the control group received releasing combined with common plaster fixation,while the patients in the experiment group received releasing combined with unilateral hinged external fixation;the clinical effects were compared between the two groups. Results The mean follow-up time was (11.2±2.1)months.the Mayo score,the excellent rate of joint and activity in the two groups were all better than before and the patients in the experiment group were all with more improvements as compared with the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion The surgical release combined with unilateral hinged external fixation in the treatment of posttraumatic elbow stiffness could be better than common plaster fixation.