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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff
  • Age. The elbows of young children are much more flexible than those of adults, so it's easier for younger elbows to become dislocated.
  • Sex. Dislocated elbows occur more commonly in males than in females.
  • Heredity. Some people are born with elbow ligaments that are looser than those of most people.
  • Sports participation. Many elbow dislocations occur during participation in sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, basketball and football.
References
  1. Khan SO, et al. Elbow dislocations in the adult athlete and pediatric patient. In: DeLee JC, et al. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/172412241-3/919462328/2079/36.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3143-7..00019-1--s1270_2729. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
  2. Elbow dislocations and fracture-dislocations. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00029. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
  3. Geiderman JM, et al. Elbow dislocations. In. Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00049-9--s0350&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00049-9--s0355&uniq=172423062&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=919484592. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
  4. Kuhn MA, et al. Acute elbow dislocations. Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2008;39:155.
  5. Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Nov. 24, 2009.
DS01165 Feb. 20, 2010

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