Original articleRelationship between throwing mechanics and elbow valgus in professional baseball pitchers*
Section snippets
Methods
Forty professional baseball pitchers served as subjects in the study. Mean age was 28 ± 5 years (range, 20-37 years), with a mean height and mass of 188 ± 5 cm and 90 ± 10 kg, respectively. Thirty-two were right-handed, and 8 left-hand dominant. Data were collected in game situations during the 1998 Cactus League season in Arizona as part of Major League Baseball Spring Training. The method of data collection involved the use of three 120-Hz cameras (Peak Performance Technologies, Englewood,
Results
The mean ball velocity at REL for the 40 fastballs was 40 ± 1 m/s (89 ± 3 mph). Valgus stress at the elbow joint was thought to be indicative of injury potential and chosen as the dependent variable because this load has been associated with subsequent medial tension and lateral compressive pathologies.11, 12 Table II depicts ANOVA for the final model.Source Sum of squares df Mean square F statistic Regression 9912.81 4 2478.20 324.14* Residual
Discussion
It is well accepted that the baseball pitching motion places tremendous stress on the elbow joint. The term valgus extension overload is commonly used to describe this stress. Several biomechanical studies1, 2, 3, 5, 11, 13 have documented valgus loads in excess of 115 Nm over the medial elbow near the instant of maximum external rotation. Clinicians dealing with overhead throwers are particularly cognizant of the susceptibility of these athletes to medial tension/lateral compression injuries
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge Cindy Suplizio, MS; Mike Decker, MS, from Lower Extremity Research, Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation, Vail, Colo, and Mike Keirns, PT, Regis University, Denver, Colo, for their assistance in data collection.
References (13)
- et al.
Throwing mechanism in sports
Orthop Clin North Am
(1973) Kinematic and kinetic parameters of the shoulder joint during the overarm baseball throw [master's thesis]
(1984)- et al.
Dynamics of the shoulder and elbow joints of the throwing arm during a baseball pitch
Int J Sport Biomech
(1986) Three-dimensional interactions in a two-segment kinetic chain. Part I: General model
Int J Sport Biomech
(1989)- et al.
Proper mechanics for baseball pitching
Clin Sports Med
(1989) - et al.
Kinetics of baseball pitching with implications about injury mechanisms
Am J Sports Med
(1995)
Cited by (122)
Elbow valgus stress during towel drills in college baseball players
2024, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow SurgeryRisk factors of throwing injuries related to pitching mechanics in young baseball players: a longitudinal cohort study
2023, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow SurgeryOrganizational risk profiling and education associated with reduction in professional pitching arm injuries: a natural experiment
2023, JSES Reviews, Reports, and TechniquesKinetic and kinematic comparisons in high school pitchers with low and high pitch location consistency
2022, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow SurgeryCitation Excerpt :Although pitching kinetics did not differ directly between groups, HiCon pitchers may indirectly promulgate lower injury risk by means of potentially throwing less pitches per inning, game, and/or season. HiCon pitchers may transfer energy more efficiently through the kinetic chain by delaying the timing of maximal lead hip flexion.1,38,55 When the pelvis rotates over the braced leg smoothly, greater pitch location consistency may be achieved from enhanced stability.
Initial kinematic chain injuries increase hazard of subsequent arm injuries in professional baseball pitchers
2022, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
- *
Reprint requests: Sherry L. Werner, PhD, Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine, 202 McAlister Extension, New Orleans, LA 70118 (E-mail: [email protected]).