Comparison of pitching styles causing UCL tears: A critically appraise topic
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Fredrick Gardin
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 10:30 AM
End Date
25-4-2025 11:29 AM
Description
This critically appraised topic aims to evaluate pitching techniques to determine whether certain styles are more probable to cause an ulnar collateral ligament tear. The purpose of this critical appraisal is to identify if a pitching style is more prone to UCL injuries. The ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow injuries are the second most common injury in baseball pitchers. UCL surgeries lead to an average postoperative follow up of 35.1 months. This appraisal will analyze data from multiple research studies, comparing different pitching techniques and their potential interaction with UCL tears. A literary search was conducted using the PubMed database, using keywords “UCL tears pitchers”, “pitcher techniques UCL injuries”, and “UCL pathology in pitchers”. The inclusion criteria required were free full-text PDFs and published within the last five years. PEDro scale was utilized to assess the quality and validity of the selected articles, only articles with a grade of “fair” to “excellent” were included. The appraisal indicated that reviewing the literature, pitching style appears to have minimal impact on UCL injuries. Instead, valgus force places stress on the UCL, leading to these injuries. The primary contributing factors to UCL injuries include high pitch counts, inadequate recovery time, repeated trauma, and overuse. Based on data comparing pitching styles and UCL tears, pitching techniques play a minimal role in UCL injuries. The most common causes of UCL injuries are high pitch counts, inadequate recovery time, repeated trauma, and overuse; demonstrating that the ligament is not directly affected by pitching styles.
Comparison of pitching styles causing UCL tears: A critically appraise topic
This critically appraised topic aims to evaluate pitching techniques to determine whether certain styles are more probable to cause an ulnar collateral ligament tear. The purpose of this critical appraisal is to identify if a pitching style is more prone to UCL injuries. The ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow injuries are the second most common injury in baseball pitchers. UCL surgeries lead to an average postoperative follow up of 35.1 months. This appraisal will analyze data from multiple research studies, comparing different pitching techniques and their potential interaction with UCL tears. A literary search was conducted using the PubMed database, using keywords “UCL tears pitchers”, “pitcher techniques UCL injuries”, and “UCL pathology in pitchers”. The inclusion criteria required were free full-text PDFs and published within the last five years. PEDro scale was utilized to assess the quality and validity of the selected articles, only articles with a grade of “fair” to “excellent” were included. The appraisal indicated that reviewing the literature, pitching style appears to have minimal impact on UCL injuries. Instead, valgus force places stress on the UCL, leading to these injuries. The primary contributing factors to UCL injuries include high pitch counts, inadequate recovery time, repeated trauma, and overuse. Based on data comparing pitching styles and UCL tears, pitching techniques play a minimal role in UCL injuries. The most common causes of UCL injuries are high pitch counts, inadequate recovery time, repeated trauma, and overuse; demonstrating that the ligament is not directly affected by pitching styles.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.