YOUTH BASEBALL ELBOW

Sign & Symptoms

Elbow pain located on the medial or inner aspect of the elbow in individuals 11 to 18 years of age is frequently referred to as "Youth Baseball Elbow", although this term is a non-specific diagnosis and actually includes many diagnoses. Most often the symptoms are elbow pain, limited motion, locking, clicking and/or inability to throw. The elbow pain is worse with throwing and improves with rest. Click here for more.

Anatomy

There are three main bones that make up the elbow. These three are the humerus (arm bone), the radius, and the ulna (these two bones make up the forearm). The rest of the joint is composed of the ligament complexes. These ligaments provide up to 50% of the elbow joint stability. Click here for more.

Injury Mechanism

The injury may be to the bone, or to the muscle. Due to the large forces generated during the acceleration phase of the throw, repetitive microtraumas to the bone may cause a boney injury or muscular tendentious.Click here for more.

Treatment

The treatment for this injury begins with a thorough examination, which include radiographics. Once examined and the absence of any bone injury has been established, a non-operative treatment program is initiated. The immediate treatment is rest, cessation from throwing and ice. Throwing activities are usually limited for approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Click here for more.

Rehabilitation

The rehabilitation consists of a series of exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles and tendons used during the overhead throwing motion. After the patient has completed the rehabilitation exercises and exhibits a non-painful range of motion, a monitored throwing program is begun to gradually and safely return the athlete to normal throwing activities over a period of several weeks.Click here for more.

Pitching Mechanics

Good pitching mechanics can improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. Pitching is a complex motion. The action of the lower body and trunk profoundly influence the position and timing of the arm path.Technical faults and injury are often a result of combinations of joint actions. Pitching biomechanics were compared for 23 youth (age range: 10-15 yrs), 33 high school (15-20), 115 college (17-23), and 60 professional (20-29) level athletes. Even when normalized by bodyweight and height, all joint forces and torques increased with competition level. Ball and joint velocities also increased. However, ten of eleven position parameters (shoulder angle, elbow angle, trunk position, etc.) showed no differences between levels. These results support the philosophy that a child should be taught "proper" pitching mechanics that could be used throughout a career. Use of a smaller, lighter baseball might allow youth league pitchers to generate arm velocities more similar to those produced by adult pitchers, and might help the young pitcher learn proper grips.Click here for more.

Recommendations

Astructured,year-‘round conditioning program can help prevent injuries during the playing season and maintain general fitness during the off-season. In addition, researchers at ASMI have identified how many and what types of pitches can be learned and safely used in competition for specific age levels. Click here for more.