Elbow pain is commonplace in baseball. It also affects tennis players and others who play sports that require an overhead motion, such as volleyball spikers. According to the American Society Medicine Institute, as many as 58 percent of young pitchers between the ages of 11 and 18 suffer from elbow pain, often caused by overuse or faulty mechanics. Throwing curveballs at a young age, before the body is developed, is at least partly to blame on the rash of elbow injuries to young pitchers, but major league pitchers have their share of elbow injuries as well, and elbow pain has shelved many promising careers.
Throwers Elbow
The elbow is a complex hinge. Composed of three bones and a number of muscles and tendons, the elbow joint and forearm can easily succumb to overuse. Throwers elbow describes damage to the bones, muscles, tendons and/or ligaments around the elbow joint and forearm. A baseball throwing motion causes the inside of the elbow, called the medial side, to stretch while compressing the the outside, or lateral side, of the elbow. Constant stretching of the tendons and ligaments on the medial side can cause inflammation or even pull ligaments and tendons from the bone. Throwers elbow pain is often felt on the knobby bump on the inside of the elbow.
Causes
The number one culprit of elbow pain for baseball players is overuse. Overuse can apply to the number of pitches you throw and the type of pitches you throw and creates a gradual onset of pain around the elbow joint or anywhere in the forearm or even the wrist. Pain on the outside of the elbow can also be caused by overuse. Constant compression on the outside of the elbow joint can loosen or damage bones and cartilage. This condition is medically referred to as osteochondritis dissecans.
Treatment
Any elbow pain should be treated immediately with the customary recipe for muscle, tendon and ligament damage. RICE, which is short for rest, ice, compression and elevation, should be instituted immediately following an injury to the elbow or at the onset of pain. Using RICE for the first 48 to 72 hours improves your chances for full recovery.
Prevention
Preventing elbow pain requires a number of steps including adopting correct throwing techniques, using the core and legs properly to take the strain off of your pitching arm. Second, muscles in the arm and shoulder should be strengthened and stretched to make them strong and flexible. Third, a pitch count should be mandated, especially for young pitchers. Fourth, ice should be applied to the arm after a pitching session or game. Finally, parents and coaches of Little League pitchers should be proactive in limiting a youngster's pitch count and protecting his arm from overuse.
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