Title | Physeal changes and range-of-motion differences in the dominant shoulders of skeletally immature baseball players. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2004 |
Authors | Mair SD, Uhl TL, Robbe RG, Brindle KA |
Journal | J Shoulder Elbow Surg |
Volume | 13 |
Issue | 5 |
Pagination | 487-91 |
Date Published | 2004 Sep-Oct |
ISSN | 1058-2746 |
Keywords | Adolescent, Baseball, Biomechanical Phenomena, Bone Development, Child, Humans, Male, Pain, Radiography, Range of Motion, Articular, Shoulder Joint |
Abstract | The purpose of this study was to document range-of-motion differences and radiographic changes in the dominant shoulder of skeletally immature throwers and to determine how pain associated with throwing may relate to these changes. Seventy-nine male youth baseball players (aged 8-15 years) completed a questionnaire, a shoulder examination, and a series of radiographs to determine physeal changes and humeral retroversion. Radiographs were reviewed and interpreted by a blinded musculoskeletal radiologist. Measurement of proximal humeral physeal width revealed a significant increase on the dominant side for the entire group, in subjects with a history of symptoms during the current season, and in subjects who had never had symptoms. Visual radiographic changes were commonly found in subjects with a history of pain (16/26 [62%]) as well as in those subjects without symptoms (29/53 [55%]). Subjects had increased external rotation of the dominant arm as compared with the nondominant arm, and this pattern increased in magnitude as the throwers aged. Range-of-motion and radiographic asymmetry of the shoulders is common, is often asymptomatic, and may represent adaptive changes in this population. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.jse.2004.02.008 |
Alternate Journal | J Shoulder Elbow Surg |
PubMed ID | 15383802 |