Terrible triad injury

The "terrible triad" of the elbow — posterior dislocation combined with fractures of the coronoid and the radial head — represents the most unstable and surgically demanding elbow injury. The combination disrupts every stabilizer of the elbow: the bony buttresses (coronoid and radial head), the medial and lateral ligamentous complexes, and the anterior capsule. Without surgical reconstruction of all injured structures, the elbow will re-dislocate.

High-energy elbow injury with obvious deformity. Post-reduction CT is essential to characterize both fractures and plan staged reconstruction. Careful neurovascular examination is mandatory.

All terrible triad injuries require surgical repair/fixation to achieve a stable, functional elbow.

External patient-education references and related OSI pages for additional background:

• Britannica — Joint (anatomy)
• AAOS OrthoInfo — patient education library
• OSI glossary — orthopedic terminology in plain language