Little Leaguer’s Elbow

With the specialization of sports becoming a common occurrence at a very young age, familiar injuries arise. An injury that is occurring regularly in young baseball players is Medial Apophysitis, or little leaguer’s elbow.

Those that play a sport in which there are overhead throws, are at a higher risk of injury because it is not a natural motion of the arm. When throwing certain pitches, a massive amount of strain is put on the elbow. For almost all little leaguers, their bodies aren’t fully developed and are extremely susceptible to injury. Tendons and ligaments inside the elbow can begin to tear away from the bone, if put through immense stress and overuse.

Young baseball players that begin to complain of elbow pain should stop throwing immediately and seek medical consultation as soon as they can. This discomfort could lead to lesser movement of the elbow and locking of the elbow joints. Although the ailment can be treated without surgery, physical therapy is a necessity to build up strength. The key in physical therapy is to strengthen the muscles around the elbow to take tension away from it.

Although the elbow is a very common place for a baseball injury to occur, there are other parts of the upper body that can be effected. Shoulders are easily hurt because of the unnatural motion of the arm and depending on the throwing motion, the shoulder can have more stress put on it than the elbow. There have been pitch limits implemented in almost all little league rules, but there is still an unsafe amount of stress put on the young arms.

If any athlete ever has any discomfort, minor or major, it should be tended to by a professional as soon as they’re made available. Especially in young athletes, quick treatment can provide pain relief and prevent future injuries.

Did you know that you have Direct Access to Physical Therapy? No referral is needed. We offer the best Physical Therapy on Long Island where you can get help from our trusted and expert Physical Therapists. We have several locations on Long Island including Massapequa, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Lindenhurst. To start your Physical Therapy evaluation, call Advance Physical Therapy and The Physical Therapy Alliance at (516) 568-4444.