Youth sports have come a long way in the past 10-15 years and with it, an increase in injuries.  Participants are much younger and the games are much more structured and competitive.  A fairly common injury that occurs in youth baseball pitchers is a condition called little league elbow.  This is a painful condition that occurs due to over-use, faulty mechanics and limited strength of adolescent baseball players.  In short, the arm is not strong enough to withstand the strains of hard, repetitive throwing.  This inflammatory type injury in mild cases creates pain, reduced range of motion and reduced strength at the elbow joint.  In a more severe case, the muscle tissue can begin to pull itself away from the bony growth plate requiring surgery to repair it.

Luckily most cases are mild, and full recovery is expected with rest and restriction from pitching.  Use of ice also aids with reduction of the inflammatory process.  Commonly, most athletes are back to full activity within 2-4 weeks.

Proper stretching, warming-up and correct throwing mechanics are essential to help prevent little league elbow from occurring in the first place.  The physical therapists at APT can assess and show the little leaguer proper stretching exercises, educate them on proper throwing mechanics and even show proper strengthening exercises to help minimize the potential for this injury.

Yours in health,

Matt