Objectives:
We aimed to examine the relationship between the hip range of motion (ROM) and ankle
ROM and throwing-related shoulder and elbow injuries in elementary school baseball
pitchers.
Methods:
This retrospective comparative study (Level of evidence: Level III) included 195
baseball pitchers (mean age 10.8±1.0 years, range 8–12 years). All pitchers underwent
physical function measurements, including height, weight, shoulder strength, and hip and
ankle ROM. Shoulder and elbow injury was defined as shoulder and elbow pain that the
pitchers had been aware of in the past or at the time of medical checkups. The results
for the injured and non-injured groups were then compared.
Results:
The shoulder ROM and strength in the injured and non-injured groups did not differ to a
statistically significant extent. The hip external rotation on the dominant side
(injured vs. non-injured: 48.9±11.1° vs. 53.3±9.7°, P<0.01), the hip internal
rotation on the non-dominant side (injured vs. non-injured: 36.6±12.0° vs. 40.9±11.0°,
P=0.01), and ankle plantar flexion on the non-dominant side (injured vs. non-injured:
52.0±6.8° vs. 54.3±6.7°, P=0.02) were significantly smaller in the injured group than in
the non-injured group.
Conclusions:
The hip external rotation ROM on the dominant side and the hip internal rotation and
ankle plantar flexion on the non-dominant side were significantly lower in the injured
group than in the non-injured group. These results may suggest measures to reduce the
incidence of elbow and shoulder injuries in elementary school baseball pitchers.