Nonoperative Treatment of Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries in the Throwing Athlete

Abstract

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries are common in overhead throwing athletes, particularly baseball players. Appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation are important in order for athletes to return to their preinjury condition. » Many patients, including the noncompetitive athletes and those with partial ligament tears, benefit from nonoperative treatment. Elite athletes desiring a return to play benefit from UCL reconstruction. » Rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, focused physical therapy, and biologic adjuncts are options that may allow athletes to return to play while avoiding the morbidity associated with operative treatment. History and Differential DiagnosisThe diagnosis of UCL injury requires a thorough history and physical examination. Correct diagnosis and treatment mustDisclosure: There was no funding for this review article. The Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms are provided with the online version of the article (http://links.lww.com/JBJSREV/A410).

Clinical outcomes of a unique ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction hybrid technique with ulnar-sided suspensory fixation

“…throwing program, are effective in many cases, these injuries are definitively managed with surgery in throwers who fail conservative treatment. [1][2][3]14,19 The frequency of reconstruction is also increasing with time in order to address the increase in injuries and increased attention on UCL injuries in throwing athletes. 5 Although there is a renewed interest in techniques to repair the ligament, the historical standard has been to reconstruct the ligament with an autogenous graft.…”