Little League Elbow Explained
What is Little League Elbow?
Little League Elbow is a general term that refers to an injury to the ligaments, tendons or bones in the elbow of a youth throwing athlete.
Little league elbow is generally due to an overuse injury, occasionally can be due to a single incident. The growing youth athlete is particularly vulnerable to overuse injuries due to the unfused growth plates and growing ligaments and tendons.
While stress in general does trigger strengthening and growth for ligaments and tendons - too much stress (repetition of the same movement) with too little rest can cause failure of those structures.
In general the best strategy for Little League Elbow is prevention. While most common in pitchers, these injuries can develop in any overhead throwing athlete. In order to prevent these overuse injuries, pitch counts should be monitored carefully and repetitive throwing activities in general need to be monitored. There is a fine line between practicing to improve skill and develop strength - and overuse leading to injury!
How can you prevent Little League Elbow?
Adhere to pitch count recommendations. Check this link for age appropriate pitch count recommendations: Guidelines for Youth and Adolescent Pitchers.
Adhering to pitch types depending on the age of the ballplayer. Throwing too many sliders or curveballs at a young age could increase your risk for Little League Elbow.
Make sure to take enough rest days. Rest is imperative in treating this injury, as well as working to prevent it. Take time away during the off season. Focusing on developing other skills or other sports that don’t require overhead throwing will make you an all around better athlete.
Training opposing muscle groups and working to maintain good functional flexibility throughout your body can help prevent overuse injuries as well. A good Sports Chiropractor or Physical Therapist may be able to help you come up with a plan.
How is Little League Elbow Diagnosed?
What if your preventive measures didn’t work? If you or your youth athlete begin experiencing elbow pain, then assessment by a healthcare provider is highly recommended. Early intervention can help prevent it becoming a full blown injury - which will likely require months of rest, therapy and gradual return to throwing program. Depending on where the injury occurs (ligament, tendon, growth plate, etc) can dictate how long the recovery will take.
To determine where and how severe the injury is, the practitioner will generally perform a physical exam, X-ray and in some cases MRI. The imaging results will help guide the recovery plan.
What about Muscle Activation?
Does AMIT or muscle activation help with Little League Elbow? Yes! If there is injury to the joint, there will definitely be muscle inhibition around the joint. In order to restore 100% function to the elbow and maximize future throwing capability - those muscles need to be activated. However, if there is injury to the ligament, growth plate or tendon itself - rest and proper rehab will still be the cornerstones of your recovery.
Our goal is to keep you or your child in the game, while keeping him or her safe as well. We want to help promote a lifetime of sports and activity, so keeping you functioning your best is key!