Athletes or people who play a lot of sports can be prone to many types of injuries. A lot of the time, these injuries can zero in on the elbow and lead to a host of problems. Fractures are not the only concern. Pitcher’s elbow is common in athletes who play sports that involve repeated arm movements and any arm injury can make a good player unable to play the sport. So, in case of any pain, consult your doctor or orthopedic surgeon. Here is everything you need to know about pitcher’s elbow.
What Is Pitcher’s Elbow?
Pitcher’s elbow, also known as Valgus Extension Overload or medial epicondyle apophysitis in children, is an elbow movement disorder that mainly affects the inside of the elbow. The elbow is a very complex joint of bones and muscles. The humerus and the ulna are joined together at the elbow joint and there are also a lot of ligaments, tendons, and muscles that cater to the movement of the elbow.
One of them is the ulnar collateral ligament. This ligament is responsible for stabilizing the elbow allowing you to throw overhead shots and other things like that.
Pitcher’s elbow causes a lot of pain on the inside of the elbow and causes a great deal of stretching and strain on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments affected. This is why people with pitcher’s elbow are unable to raise their arm and even mimic a throw, so you can forget about an actual throw.
This is common to occur in adults and children alike, but it can lead to a lot of issues if you don’t treat it and deal with it right away. It can lead to a locked arm and just overall discomfort in the arm.
Causes Of Pitcher’s Elbow
Now that you know what pitcher’s elbow is, here are some of the most common causes for it.
Common In Athletes
Pitcher’s elbow can be common if you play a lot of sports, especially those in which your hand is engaged a lot in throwing and receiving. So, games like baseball, basketball, and even volleyball can lead to pitcher’s elbow.
Not Warming Up Properly Before The Play
Your arm has a certain limit when it comes to extending it. Beyond a certain point, it can be under a lot of stress and you don’t want that. So, if you’re engaging your arm in sports that require a lot of arm strength and you’re not warming up beforehand, then you can put your elbow at risk of injury.
Fracture
If you’ve had a fracture in your elbow, specifically in the olecranon, then you can be at risk of pitcher’s elbow. See, when you have a fractured elbow and instead of letting it heal, you dive into sports without a care in the world, then you’re going to suffer from a lot of injuries. Maybe not right now, but days after, you will feel the pain and discomfort creeping up on you and that is not ideal.
UCL Injury
Ulnar collateral ligament injury or tearing can also lead to pitcher’s elbow. This can cause a lot of pain and you might not even be able to move your elbow or arm altogether, which is quite scary.
Ulnar Nerve Injury
If you have any injury in the ulnar nerve, then it can also turn into pitcher’s elbow. The ulnar nerve is a major nerve in your ulna and if there is a lot of stress on this nerve, because of engaging your hands in sports, then pitcher’s elbow will be common.
Tendonitis
Damaged or torn tendons, or tendonitis, which is really common to occur in athletes or sports players, can also lead to pitcher’s elbow.
Symptoms Of Pitcher’s Elbow
To understand how pitcher’s elbow can affect your everyday movements, here are some symptoms you need to keep in mind.
Elbow Pain
You might feel a lot of pain in the elbow, especially on the inside of the elbow. This is because your elbow is stuck or locked and the muscles are jammed, causing you to feel immense pain. The pain is so intense that you won’t be able to lift or turn your arm, which is very alarming and you will experience a lot of discomfort.
Stuck Elbow Sensation
The next thing you will feel is the sensation of a stuck elbow. It’s hard to explain, but you will feel like your elbow is stuck or locked in place and you can’t get it to move. This is also a very common symptom and it is one of the determining factors of pitcher’s elbow, so you want to look out for this and see an elbow injury doctor Woodbridge ASAP if your experience this.
Popping Sound When Extending The Arm
You might also hear a popping sound, especially when you try to extend your arm up and mimic a throw. This is also really common to occur and you will be in a lot of pain. Moreover, there can also be shoulder pain in some cases.
Numbness
If there is damage to the ulnar nerve, then you can also experience loss of sensation or numbness in the arm. This is a very serious sign and you need to stop all kinds of movements right away and get to a doctor immediately. Loss of sensation is never a good sign.
Diagnosis And Treatment For Pitcher’s Elbow
Now, the only thing that is left to do is diagnose and treat pitcher’s elbow. Well, to diagnose pitcher’s elbow, you will probably have to go through a physical examination.
In it, the doctor will take a look at your elbow and see if there is any damage or dislocation that could be causing pain and other symptoms to intensify.
Next, an X-ray or MRI will be done to look at your elbow. This is done to pinpoint why your symptoms are a problem and what the primary cause of pitcher’s elbow is.
After that, you might be advised to rest and wait it out, if the elbow can heal on its own. If not, then here are some treatment options to consider:
General Treatments
- Ice compressions do the trick and you can see the difference in no time.
- Sometimes, physical therapy can also heal the elbow, and getting your elbow through the sessions of physical therapy will help you out a lot and it will heal your elbow up in no time.
- In the meantime, you can also take pain medication. That depends on your pain threshold, so if you can take the pain, then it’s alright but if you can’t, then don’t worry because pain medication will help you breathe through the pain.
Throw Analysis
The most common mode of treatment is a throw analysis. A lot of the time, people will throw balls in a very strained manner and that can lead to the recurrence of injuries.
So, if you want, you can do a throw analysis and perfect your throw while keeping your elbow in perfect condition. This will prevent injuries in the long run and you won’t have to deal with pitcher’s elbow.
Surgery
In very rare cases, surgery can be the last resort, especially if your ulnar collateral ligament is affected. For this, a UCL reconstruction surgery, also known as Tommy John Surgery is recommended. The torn ligament is surgically fused back together and you can get back to normal life after healing.
Conclusion
Pitcher’s elbow is a really common elbow disorder, especially in athletes and it can lead to a lot of limitations. Therefore, follow the treatment plan recommended by your sports medicine specialist Woodbridge for speedy recovery.
