Clinical Retrospective on SPS orthosis use for elbow stiffness
Elbow joint stiffness and loss of motion develops in many patients following trauma. Restoring range of motion (ROM) and function remains a costly and time-consuming challenge. A variety of mobilization splints have been suggested as useful tools to improve elbow ROM when standard exercises alone seem insufficient.
This study, appearing in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 19(2), 196–201, Slif D. Ulrich, MD, et al is a clinical retrospective review of SPS orthosis use, in 37 patients with persistent posttraumatic elbow joint stiffness despite a full course of therapy. Subjects had undergone standard therapy and home stretching for a mean of 12 weeks prior to initiation of orthosis use.
Results: The mean gain in total elbow ROM was 26°. This study demonstrates that SPS therapy can increase ROM effectively in patients with persistent post-traumatic elbow stiffness, and the use of adjunctive SPS orthosis can potentially lower the cost of overall treatment.
