J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2018 Jun;53(3):185-192. 10.4055/jkoa.2018.53.3.185.

Upper Extremity Injuries in Youth Baseball Players

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea. woonysos@hanmail.net

Abstract

The elbow and shoulder in young baseball players are prone to injuries. The internal factors of sports injuries are the fragility of the bones and joints of growing children and adolescents. The main external factors of injuries are the competition and eagerness of adolescent players and the motivation of hard-work. Baseball injuries have many causes, including fast rotation and movement of a load from the trunk to arm, repetitive incorrect placement of the arm in the throwing position, too-many throwing practices, etc. Orthopedic surgeons have generally focused on surgical procedure to cure, but it is time to consider and share the methods of injury prevention.

Keyword

youth baseball; athletic injury; prevention

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Arm
Athletic Injuries
Baseball*
Child
Elbow
Humans
Joints
Motivation
Orthopedics
Shoulder
Surgeons
Upper Extremity*

Figure

  • Figure 1 Sequential drawings of throwing in 6 steps: wind-up, early cocking, late cocking, acceleration, deceleration, and follow-through.

  • Figure 2 Radiograph showing the medial epicondylar apophysitis in a 10-year-old boy.

  • Figure 3 This radiograph shows fragmentation in the total capitellum of an 8-year-old boy with Panner's disease.

  • Figure 4 One leg balance test in stance (A) and squatting (B) which show the stability in balance and problems in the lower extremity.


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