Objective: To evaluate the presence of x ray changes in the proximal humerus growth plate of 21 young pitchers.
Design: Case series.
Setting: This study was conducted at the Orthopaedic and Traumatology Department of the ABC College of Medicine, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil, tertiary institution.
Patients: 21 male adolescent baseball pitchers, with a mean age of 14.5 years and selected from the Brazilian National Team, were studied.
Interventions: The patients underwent x ray examinations of the shoulders.
Main outcome measurements: The x rays of the pitchers' shoulders were studied to determine any changes in the proximal humeral growth plate and correlate them with clinical findings.
Results: Fourteen athletes (66%) had radiographic changes in the humerus growth plate but only 5 (36%) had pain complaints. Nine of these 14 cases (64%) whom the observers found radiographic changes did not complain of pain. It was also observed that there was a correlation in only 11 cases between clinical and radiographic evaluations.
Conclusion: Radiographic changes in the proximal humerus growth plate were found in 66% of the cases, but 64% were asymptomatic. These changes indicate possible evolution, in the future, to a greater degree of retroversion in pitchers' dominant shoulders.