ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Chirurgia 2021 December;34(6):254-8

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.20.05246-8

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

A rare injury “goalkeeper’s elbow:” a triceps tendon rupture

Tahir OZTURK ¹, Firat ERPALA ² ✉

¹ Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey; ² Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Cesme Alpercizgenakat State Hospital, Izmir, Turkey

BACKGROUND: Distal triceps tendon rupture is a rare injury that typically occurs through an eccentrically sudden contraction of the tendon or direct trauma to the back of the elbow. Shoulder and elbow injuries occur 4.6 times more frequently in goalkeepers than in field players. This study aimed to evaluate reports in the literature about goalkeepers who underwent surgery to treat triceps tendon rupture.
METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for triceps rupture retrospectively screened between 2018 and 2020. Three patients (males: 3) who met the criteria included in the study. All patients are licensed professional goalkeepers. Surgery was performed with a knotless anatomic footprint repair technique. For functional evaluations, the Mayo Elbow Performance Scoring System and qDASH scoring systems were used. Measurements of handgrip strength were performed with a Jamar dynamometer.
RESULTS: The mean age was 20.3 years (18-23), and the mean follow-up time was 15 months (12-18). The patients underwent surgery three days (patient 1), five days (patient 2), and 12 days (patient 3) after the injury. The mean Mayo elbow score was 95 (85-100), and the mean qDASH score was 7.5 (4.5-11.3).
CONCLUSIONS: We propose that there is a type of injury among football players and athletes that needs to be defined explicitly. We believe that the term ‘goalkeeper’s elbow’ should be defined in the literature, and based on this definition, more comprehensive studies should be performed on this type of injury in football players.

KEY WORDS: Athletic injuries; Tendons; Surgical procedures, operative