title: Biomechanical differences of the anterior and posterior bands of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main purpose of this study was to examine the functional characteristics of the anterior and posterior bands of the anterior bundle of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six cadaveric elbows were tested using a digital tracking system to measure the strain in the anterior band and posterior band of the anterior bundle of the UCL throughout a flexion/extension arc. The specimens were then placed in an Instron materials testing machine and loaded to failure to determine yield load and ultimate load of the UCL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The posterior band showed a linear increase in strain with increasing degrees of elbow flexion while the anterior band showed minimal change in strain throughout. The bands showed similar strain at yield load and ultimate load, demonstrating similar intrinsic properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anterior band of the anterior bundle of the UCL shows an isometric strain pattern through elbow range of motion, while the posterior band shows an increasing strain pattern in higher degrees of elbow flexion. Both bands show similar strain in a load to failure model, indicating insertion point, not intrinsic differences, of the bands determine the function of the anterior bundle of the UCL. This demonstrates a biomechanical rationale for UCL reconstructions using single point anatomical insertion points.
authors.affiliation: Congress Medical Associates, 800 South Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91105, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Congress Medical Associates, 800 South Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91105, USA.
authors.forename: Shelby E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jarrell
authors.affiliation: Congress Medical Associates, 800 South Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA, 91105, USA. cagjamd@aol.com.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, VA Healthcare System, Long Beach, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kyung Chil
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, VA Healthcare System, Long Beach, CA, USA.|University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Thay Q
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D000070637:Collateral Ligament, Ulnar / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D000070638:Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction
keywords: Anterior band; Cadaveric study; Elbow flexion; Posterior band; Strain; Ulnar collateral ligament