Rehabilitation Protocols in Elbow Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries: A Systematic Review of Articles Published in the Last 20 Years.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Elbow medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries have become increasingly common in athletes. Despite this, rehabilitation protocols appear to vary drastically, which may explain the clinical equipoise regarding optimal management.

Objective

This systematic review reports rehabilitation characteristics reported after UCL injuries and compares reported outcomes based on early versus delayed rehabilitation.

Data sources

Our search utilized PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane to identify all articles on UCL rehabilitation published between January 1, 2002 and October 1, 2022.

Study selection

Studies in English with ≥5 patients that reported rehabilitation protocols for UCL injuries were evaluated.

Study design

Systematic review

SUBMITTER: Buchanan TR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11569531 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature