Biomaterial Database

Painful olecranon physeal nonunion in an adult weight lifter. A case report. 1995

L G Walker

Department of Orthopaedics, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, USA.

Only 3 cases of persistent olecranon physes in adults have been reported previously in literature. In each case, physeal nonunion was present bilaterally and either unilateral, bipartite, or tripartite patellae were present. A case of painful unilateral physeal nonunion in an adult weight lifter is presented. The patient had begun competitive weight lifting when he was 14 years old. Radiographs of the contralateral olecranon and patellae were normal. After failure of conservative treatment, surgical union was achieved, using tension band wiring augmented with autologous iliac crest bone graft. The author proposes that unilateral olecranon physeal nonunion has a mechanical etiology as opposed to a genetic etiology in individuals with bilateral physeal persistence. Surgical treatment in the former group is best delayed until after age 19, to allow adequate time for spontaneous union.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D010146	Pain	An unpleasant sensation induced by noxious stimuli which are detected by NERVE ENDINGS of NOCICEPTIVE NEURONS.	Suffering, Physical,Ache,Pain, Burning,Pain, Crushing,Pain, Migratory,Pain, Radiating,Pain, Splitting,Aches,Burning Pain,Burning Pains,Crushing Pain,Crushing Pains,Migratory Pain,Migratory Pains,Pains, Burning,Pains, Crushing,Pains, Migratory,Pains, Radiating,Pains, Splitting,Physical Suffering,Physical Sufferings,Radiating Pain,Radiating Pains,Splitting Pain,Splitting Pains,Sufferings, Physical
D001846	Bone Development	The growth and development of bones from fetus to adult. It includes two principal mechanisms of bone growth: growth in length of long bones at the epiphyseal cartilages and growth in thickness by depositing new bone (OSTEOGENESIS) with the actions of OSTEOBLASTS and OSTEOCLASTS.	Bone Growth
D001864	Bone Wires	Steel wires, often threaded through the skin, soft tissues, and bone, used to fix broken bones. Kirschner wires or apparatus also includes the application of traction to the healing bones through the wires.	Kirschner Wire,Kirschner Wires,Bone Wire,Wire, Bone,Wire, Kirschner,Wires, Bone,Wires, Kirschner
D004551	Elbow Joint	A hinge joint connecting the FOREARM to the ARM.	Elbow Joints,Joint, Elbow,Joints, Elbow
D004838	Epiphyses	The head of a long bone that is separated from the shaft by the epiphyseal plate until bone growth stops. At that time, the plate disappears and the head and shaft are united.	Epiphysis
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D013314	Stress, Mechanical	A purely physical condition which exists within any material because of strain or deformation by external forces or by non-uniform thermal expansion; expressed quantitatively in units of force per unit area.	Mechanical Stress,Mechanical Stresses,Stresses, Mechanical
D014891	Weight Lifting	A sport in which weights are lifted competitively or as an exercise.	Lifting, Weight,Liftings, Weight,Weight Liftings