ELBOW, FOREARM AND WRIST INJURIES IN THE ATHLETE

Competitive and recreational athletes sustain a wide variety of soft t issue, bone, ligament, tendon and nerve damage to their upper extremit ies. Most such injuries are related to direct trauma or repetitive str ess, and account for a significant amount of 'down time' for athletes participating in a wide range of sports, particularly those in which t he arm is utilised for throwing, catching or swinging. Overuse injurie s to the elbow include musculotendinous injuries, ulnar nerve injuries and ligamentous injuries. Osteochondrol lesions of the capitellum and posterior impingement injuries in the joint are frequently seen in at hletes as well. Acute traumatic injuries to the elbow include tendon r uptures, elbow dislocations and intra-articular fractures. Forearm ove ruse injuries in athletes include fracture of the carpal scaphold, fra cture of the hook of the hamate, Kienbock's syndrome and pisoquetral s yndromes. ligamentous injuries include scapholunate, lunotriquetral an d midcarpal instability injuries. Injuries to the distal radio-ulnar j oint and triangular fibrocartilage are also quite common in athletes, and require careful evaluation and treatment.