Elbow injuries at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games: demographics and pictorial imaging review.

Abstract

Elbow injuries in Olympic sports and their imaging findings have not been described previously. The main objective of this article is to analyze the demographic data on imaging of elbow injuries at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games and to review the spectrum of imaging findings. Elbow injuries were seen in a wide variety of sports. Judo and weight-lifting contributed nearly half of all injuries, with only a surprisingly small number of injuries seen in throwing athletes. Knowledge of elbow anatomy coupled with awareness of types of elbow injuries and their prevalence in various sports will contribute toward improving diagnostic accuracy, handling of workload, and overall provision of services at similar major international sporting events in the future.