Elbow stiffness is commonly seen in elbow trauma and post-elbow surgery. It may also be caused by synovitis and osteoarthritis, the common cause of elbow mobility limitation and elbow pain. Studies have shown that elbow stiffness can be induced in more than 5% of patients with elbow trauma, among which the risk of elbow stiffness is higher in patients with radial head fracture and supracondylar fracture of the humerus. The impaired function of the upper limb in patients with elbow stiffness, coupled with the effects of pain, can damage the patient's physical and mental health. For clinical elbow stiffness, the application rate of open release is high, which can promote the improvement of elbow function. Still, it is easy to cause trauma and postoperative complications, affecting the prognosis. With the development of minimally invasive medicine, the arthroscopic release has been gradually applied in clinical practice. It has the characteristics of minimally invasive surgery and minor trauma to patients. It can reduce the incidence of soft tissue contracture, ectopic ossification, and other complications and is favored by patients with fast postoperative recovery.

To investigate the therapeutic effect of arthroscopic release on elbow stiffness.

From January 2019 to January 2022, 20 patients with elbow stiffness in our hospital were randomly divided into two groups, with 10 cases in the study group and 10 cases in the control group. They received the arthroscopic release and open release, respectively, to observe and compare the surgical conditions, visual analogue scale (VAS) , mayo elbow function score, elbow range of motion, and quality of life scale (SF-36) between the two groups of patients.

Compared with the control group, the incision length of the study group was significantly shortened, the intraoperative blood loss was significantly reduced, and the postoperative VAS score was significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the extension angle of the study group decreased significantly, and the flexion angle, pronation angle, and supination angle increased significantly (P<0.05) . The SF-36 score was significantly improved (P < 0.05) .

The application of arthroscopic release in patients with elbow stiffness has a short surgical incision, less intraoperative blood loss, and less postoperative pain, which can promote the recovery of joint motion, improve elbow function, and improve quality of life.