Repetitive overhead throwing common cause of shoulder injuries in college baseball players
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Published results showed repetitive overhead throwing is a common cause of overuse shoulder injuries in college baseball players, with rotator cuff pathology significantly more likely to cause season-ending injuries.
Daniel A. Charen, MD, and colleagues analyzed shoulder injury data for male baseball players using the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program database from 2009 to 2010 through 2013 to 2014 and examined the most common shoulder injuries, including acromioclavicular sprain, anterior dislocation, biceps tear, biceps tendinitis, superior labrum from anterior to posterior (SLAP) tear, non-SLAP labral tear, rotator cuff tear, rotator cuff tendinitis and shoulder impingement. Researchers performed statistical analysis using proportion ratios.
Researchers identified 138 shoulder injuries, of which 51.4% occurred during practice. Results showed 45.6% of all injuries included rotator cuff pathology, with rotator cuff tears significantly more likely to be season-ending injuries. Researchers found 100% of players with rotator cuff tendonitis, 87.5% of SLAP tears, 70% of players with biceps tendinitis and 67% of players with rotator cuff tears had a mechanism of injury of pitching or throwing. Biceps tendinitis and SLAP tears were significantly more like to be chronic, while SLAP tears were significantly more likely to be recurrent, according to results. Researchers noted a significant association between being a freshman or sophomore with a lower proportion of biceps tendinitis, as well as a significant association between contact with acromioclavicular sprains and anterior shoulder dislocations occurred while running the bases or sliding.
“This is the first study to specifically analyze the epidemiology of shoulder injuries in NCAA baseball players. Repetitive overhead throwing is a risk factor for shoulder injuries in collegiate baseball pitchers, often leading to rotator cuff and biceps tendon injuries,” Charen, a corresponding author of the study and resident in the department of orthopedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Healio Orthopedics. “Although much research has been performed regarding strengthening and conditioning, pitch counts and throwing mechanics, this study demonstrates there is still a high rate of shoulder injuries in repetitive overhead throwers and the need to refine and develop new injury prevention strategies.”
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