Elbow injuries are among the most common injuries for professional baseball pitchers. They are also among the most debilitating injuries, often resulting in surgery and long periods on the disabled list. Predicting which pitchers are most at risk for suffering elbow injuries, and correcting those risk factors could prevent many of these problems.
Results
Wilk and his team found that a pitcher’s total range of motion could play a role in his suffering an elbow injury. They measured a pitcher’s internal rotation and external rotation lying supine with the shoulder abducted 90 degrees. Pitchers with a total range of motion deficit greater than five degrees in their dominant shoulder had a risk of suffering an elbow injury that placed him on the disabled list 2.3 times higher than those with full shoulder rotation.
Likewise, pitchers with a shoulder flexion deficit of five degrees or more were 2.8 times more likely to suffer an elbow injury.
“Overhead throwing athletes like baseball pitchers are already prone to a unique set of elbow injuries,” Wilk explained. “With this in mind, we wanted to explore whether specific elements of the throwing motion can contribute to a greater injury risk.”
Implications
Also read:
Ask Dr. Geier – Tommy John injuries
Ask Dr. Geier – Preventing youth pitching injuries
What Stephen Strasburg can teach young pitchers
In this study, the elbow injuries caused pitchers to spend an average of 51 days on the disabled list. A little bit of early detection and a preseason program to correct underlying shoulder problems might keep some of these pitchers on the mound instead of the operating room or physical therapy clinic.
Note: This post appears in modified form as an article I wrote for Becker’s Orthopedic Review.