Little League elbow is a condition that is caused by repetitive throwing motions, especially in children who play sports that involve an overhand throw. "Little Leaguer's elbow" was coined by Brogdon and Crow in an eponymous 1960 article in the
American Journal of Radiology
The American Journal of Roentgenology (''AJR'') is a monthly peer-reviewed journal that covers topics in radiology. It is published by the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) and is based in Leesburg, VA. The current editor-in-chief (August 2020 ...
.
The name of the condition is derived from the game of
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
. Compared to athletes who play other sports, baseball players are at higher risk of
overuse injuries
A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an injury to part of the musculoskeletal or nervous system caused by repetitive use, vibrations, compression or long periods in a fixed position. Other common names include repetitive stress disorders, cumul ...
and injuries caused by
early sports specialization
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* Early ...
by children and teenagers.
Little League elbow is most often seen in young
pitchers
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a ...
under the age of sixteen. The
pitching motion causes a
valgus stress
The valgus stress test or medial stress test is a test for damage to the medial collateral ligament of the knee. It involves placing the leg into extension, with one hand placed as a pivot
Pivot may refer to:
*Pivot, the point of rotation in a ...
to be placed on the
elbow joint
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...
which can cause damage to the structures of the elbow, resulting in an avulsion of the
medial epiphyseal plate
The epiphyseal plate (or epiphysial plate, physis, or growth plate) is a hyaline cartilage plate in the metaphysis at each end of a long bone. It is the part of a long bone where new bone growth takes place; that is, the whole bone is alive, wit ...
(growth plate).
The first diagnosis of the injury in 1960 set off a firestorm of controversy regarding how much youth baseball players can and should be asked to pitch. The ailment even appeared in the comic strip ''
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...
'' in 1963 when
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...
received a diagnosis. In 2007, in order to protect against overuse injuries,
Little League Baseball began limiting the number of pitches a player could throw per day.
Adult pitchers do not experience the same injury because they do not have an open growth plate in the elbow. Instead, in adult athletes a more common injury is to the
ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to:
* Ulnar carpal collateral ligament
* Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint
The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...
of the elbow, an injury that often requires
Tommy John surgery in order for the athlete to resume high-level competitive throwing.
See also
*
Tennis elbow
Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis or enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis origin, is a condition in which the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. The pain may also extend into the back of the forearm. Onse ...
*
Golfer's elbow
Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is tendinosis of the medial epicondyle on the inside of the elbow. It is in some ways similar to tennis elbow, which affects the outside at the lateral epicondyle.
The anterior forearm contains several ...
*
Repetitive strain injury
A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an injury to part of the musculoskeletal or nervous system caused by repetitive use, vibrations, compression or long periods in a fixed position. Other common names include repetitive stress disorders, cumula ...
*
Radial tunnel syndrome
Radial tunnel syndrome (RTS) is caused by increased pressure on the radial nerve as it travels from the upper arm (the brachial plexus) to the hand and wrist.
Symptoms and signs
Radial tunnel syndrome causes posterolateral elbow pain that is simil ...
*
Panner disease
Panner disease is an osteochondrosis of the capitellum of the elbow. Panner disease is primarily seen in boys between the ages of five and ten years old. Panner disease is often caused by excessive throwing due to valgus stress. The disease cause ...
References
External links
Emedicine article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little League Elbow
Baseball pitching
Little League
Overuse injuries
Sports injuries