Basics
The elbow joint is a joint that consists of three partial joints and involves three bones: upper arm bone, ulna and radius. The following partial joints can be subdivided: A partial joint consists of humerus and ulna, the so-called humeroulnar joint. This is functionally a hinge joint that bends and stretches the forearm.
The other partial joint consists of humerus and radius and is called humeroradial joint. It serves to turn the hand in and out. There is also a joint between ulna and radius.
A radial head fracture is the fracture of the uppermost bone section of the radius. The radial head forms a joint in the elbow joint. If you bend your arm completely, you can feel the radial head when turning your hand by feeling the radial head with your index and middle finger on the outside of the elbow, i.e. the side facing away from you, halfway between the elbow and the bone. In the case of a radial head fracture, treatment with an elbow orthosis is ideal and is used very often in practice.
Which different elbow orthoses are available?
A widespread and renowned type of elbow orthoses are elbow orthoses with one joint. The joint imitates the function of the elbow joint and supports it. For this reason, this type of orthosis is used to mobilize the joint as part of a health restorative therapy.
The special feature of this type of orthosis is that it can also be used for immobilization, i.e. temporary immobilization of the joint, after injury or surgery. The purpose is to avoid movements that lead to dislocation of the joint while the joint is still unstable and not completely healed. The orthoses have an adjustable inclination angle to suit the desired therapy.
Furthermore, there are elbow orthoses without joint.These are of course static and therefore primarily serve to reduce movement in the elbow joint. They are used for immobilization and prevent the hand from being able to rotate in the event of a fracture of the radial head, for example. This may sound incomprehensible, but when the hand is turned, a joint in the elbow is significantly involved. A rather exotic type of elbow orthoses are inflatable orthoses. These are intended to prevent swelling and relieve pain in sports accidents or after operations.
