This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Study: ‘Docking technique’ can treat ulnar collateral ligament tears in adolescent athletes

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

Adolescent patients experienced good outcomes after treated with a docking technique to repair their ulnar collateral ligament tears and researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery noted that the outcomes were better than those found in similar patients in previously published studies on ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.

“Over the last decade, the incidence of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears has dramatically increased in the adolescent population due to widespread participation in overhead sports such as baseball,” David W. Altchek, MD, senior author and co-chief of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery, stated in a press release.

The docking technique involves splitting muscles rather than detaching and reattaching them, which also avoids the ulnar nerve and requires fewer drill holes in the humerus, reducing fracture risk, according to the release.

Altchek and colleagues investigated if UCL surgery using the docking technique would result in improved outcomes in adolescent athletes. In the study, the researchers analyzed 46 patients with a mean age of 17 years. The majority of the patients were baseball players, along with three gymnasts and three javelin throwers. Patients were evaluated for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively based on their ability to return to athletic activity.

At the most recent follow-up visit, 89% of patients reported excellent outcomes as measured by the Conway scale, according to the abstract. They noted that there were one good, two fair and two poor results, although the two poor results were in patients with capitellar osteochondritis dissecans lesions. There were postoperative complications in two gymnasts and two javelin throwers who developed ulnar neuritis following reconstruction.

Reference:

Jones K. Paper #506. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 19-23, 2013; Chicago.

Disclosure: Altchek has no relevant financial disclosures.