Objectives: : To evaluate clinically and radiologically the elbows of spinal cord injured patients and compare them to the control group.
Methods: : Twenty patients (10 paraplegics and 10 tetraplegics) were clinically evaluated through assessment of pain scale, measurement of active and passive range of motion, degree of muscle strength and MEPS score. They were also submitted to bilateral plain radiography of the elbows. Both groups were compared to the control group.
Results: : Four paraplegic and three tetraplegic patients referred mild to moderate, sporadic and motion related pain. The control group was asymptomatic. No statistic significant difference was found in passive range of motion among the three groups. The tetraplegic group showed a lower active range of motion as well as lower MEPS score as compared to the control group. Equal number of patients in the spinal cord injured patients had radiological abnormalities, but those were more severe in the tetraplegic group.
Conclusion: : Spinal cord injured patients presented clinical and radiological elbow abnormalities, which were more evident on tetraplegics. Level of Evidence III, Case Control.
Keywords: Elbow; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Spinal cord injuries.