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The significance of the supratrochlear aperture (STA) in elbow range of motion: an anatomical study

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Abstract

Assessment of the range of motion at a joint is among the methods employed by orthopedic surgeons and physiotherapists to determine courses of therapy and joint recovery. Females tend to have a greater range of motion at the elbow joint than males. In the present case–control study, the elbow extension angle was compared between males and females with and without the supratrochlear aperture. A total of 453 dry humeri and their corresponding ulnae were included in the study, and elbow extension angle was measured using a goniometer. The average extension angle in this sample was 173°, and it was significantly greater when the STA was present (\(\bar{X}\) = 175.4°) than when it was absent (\(\bar{X}\) = 171°). It was greater in females (\(\bar{X}\) = 174.5°) than in males (\(\bar{X}\) = 171.3°) irrespective of STA status, and was greater on the left in both sexes. Hyperextension characterized 13 % of the sample, whereas the majority (76 %) showed hypoextension and only a few (11 %) exhibited normal extension. Trochlear notch depth and olecranon–coronoid distance would found to be useful for predicting the presence of the supratrochlear aperture, while the transverse and vertical diameters of the supratrochlear aperture were found to be the most useful parameters when predicting the degree of extension. The functional benefits of hyperextension at the elbow joint are not fully understood. However, these results are important to orthopedic surgeons and physiotherapists as they permit a greater understanding of normal elbow range of motion in the South African population.

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From Ndou and Schepartz (2016). Copyright © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Acknowledgments

I am very grateful to my mentor Professor Lynne Schepartz for guidance, and to Brendon Billings for access to the skeletal collection and Thokozani Zwane for assistance with data collection. Dr. Tope Esan assisted with advice on the application of statistical methods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Morphological Anatomy Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa

    Robert Ndou

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  1. Robert Ndou
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Correspondence to Robert Ndou.

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Funding

Funds for the project came from the National Research Council (South Africa), grant number 84389, University of the Witwatersrand Faculty Research Council, the Wits WHC dividend, grant number 001-403-8421101.

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The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Ndou, R. The significance of the supratrochlear aperture (STA) in elbow range of motion: an anatomical study. Anat Sci Int 93, 88–97 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-016-0376-4

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