Baseball
Pitching Injuries
Ross Hauser, M.D.

Pitching consists of four phases: windup, cocking, acceleration, and follow-through. During both the acceleration and follow-through phases, a large extension and valgus load is placed on the elbow joint.

The application of chronic stress to the elbow leads to overuse syndromes at the medial and lateral sides of the elbow.

In the acceleration phase of a pitcher’s motion, extreme valgus stress is placed on the elbow. Tensile forces that result from this stress may cause injury to the flexor musculature (wrist flexors), medial collateral ligaments, avulsion fractures of the medial epicondyles, and traction spurs of the ulnar coronoid. Compressive forces may also result in osteochondral fracture of the capitellum, osteochondritis dissecans, deformity of the radial head, lateral epicondylitis, lateral collateral ligament sprain, and formation of loose bodies all on the lateral side of the joint.

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