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Increased Carrying Angle is a Risk Factor for Nontraumatic Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow

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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

The literature suggests a possible relationship between carrying angle and nontrauma-related ulnar neuropathy. To confirm that relationship, we asked whether carrying angle is a risk factor in patients with nontrauma-related ulnar neuropathy. We measured the carrying angles of the elbow in 36 patients with a clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed diagnosis of nontraumatic ulnar neuropathy at the elbow and in 50 healthy control subjects. Correlation analysis was performed between carrying angles and parameters of nerve conduction studies, including nerve conduction velocities and amplitudes of muscle and nerve action potentials. The mean carrying angle was greater in the patients than in the control subjects. Females had a greater carrying angle than males. We observed an inverse relationship between carrying angles and motor nerve conduction velocities at cross-elbow segments of the ulnar nerves and with sensory nerve conduction velocities of the distal ulnar nerves. An increased carrying angle of the elbow appears to be an independent risk factor of nontrauma-related ulnar neuropathy.

Level of Evidence: Level III, diagnostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kai-Fong Chang for assistance with statistical analysis of the data and Martha Tibbet for review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and Hospital, No 1, Chang-Te Street, Taipei, 100, Taiwan

    Chein-Wei Chang MD & Yi-Chian Wang MD

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Ren-Chi Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chang-Hung Chu MD

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  1. Chein-Wei Chang MD
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  2. Yi-Chian Wang MD
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  3. Chang-Hung Chu MD
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Correspondence to Chein-Wei Chang MD.

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Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained.

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Chang, CW., Wang, YC. & Chu, CH. Increased Carrying Angle is a Risk Factor for Nontraumatic Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466, 2190–2195 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0308-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0308-2

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