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Longer off-season reduced risk of elbow pain in young baseball players
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Recently published results showed a significant correlation between off-season duration with elbow pain and morphologic abnormalities of the medial elbow joint in elementary school-aged baseball players.
Among 680 elementary school-aged baseball players who underwent annual medical checkups, researchers collected self-completed questionnaires that investigated the experience with elbow pain and the off-season duration. Researchers performed ultrasonographic assessment of the elbow joint on the day of the medical checkup to assess for morphologic abnormalities.
Results showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of elbow pain and morphologic abnormalities of the medial epicondyle among patients who experienced a longer off-season. Patients whose off-season lasted 1 month to 2 months and patients whose off-season lasted longer than 2 months experienced a significantly lower risk of elbow pain, according to results of a multivariate analysis. Researchers found patients whose off-season lasted 1 month to 2 months and patients whose off-season lasted longer than 2 months had a significantly lower risk of medial epicondyle lesions. However, researchers found no significant correlation between capitellar osteochondritis dissecans and off-season duration.
“We believe that an off-season of at least 1 month is a minimal requirement for the prevention of elbow pain and morphologic abnormalities of the [medial epicondyle] MEC in juvenile baseball players,” the authors wrote. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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