Throwing sports, such as baseball, largely involve constant overhand throws which place immense stress on the elbow. The repetitive high stress baseball pitchers or other throwing athletes undergo many times may cause serious overuse injury. Overuse injuries, unlike an injury resulting from trauma, develops progressively over time due to the frequent athletic movements practiced during the sport, therefore the body isn’t allowed the necessary time needed to rest and repair itself.
Injuries from throwing sports mainly occur at the inside of the elbow. During a throw, an athlete applies considerable force over the inner elbow to throw repeatedly at great speeds, concentrating stress on the elbow.
Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
The ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL, is the most commonly injured ligament in throwing athletes. Located on the inside of the elbow, the ulnar collateral ligament runs from the inner side of the humerus to the inner side of the ulna. The ligament withstands extreme stress in order to stabilize the elbow during overhand throwing. UCL injuries can range from minor irritation to a complete tear of the ligament.
The most commonly known symptom of an ulnar collateral ligament injury is direct pain over the location of the ligament on the inner side of the elbow. Other well-known symptoms include pain experienced while throwing, a “popping” sensation when the pain begins, inflammation on the elbow, numbness and/or a tingling sensation in the hand and fingers, and a limited ability to throw and a decrease in the velocity of the affected athlete’s pitch.
In many cases, the pain and symptoms of an ulnar collateral ligament injury will settle when the athlete stops throwing. This type of injury is uncommon to occur in non-throwers. In baseball, the risk of developing a UCL injury depends on each individual athlete, mainly focusing on the amount of time spent practicing throws, to the velocity of a throw, and even depending on how tall and heavy the athlete is.
Even so, it’s always important to receive a careful evaluation of any suspected injury because not every elbow pain in a throwing athlete can be a UCL injury.
Baseball Player’s Elbow Ligament Injuries – Livestrong.com
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Post Disclaimer
Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
We are here to help you and your family.
Blessings
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
License Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
My Digital Business Card
