Sports Medicine Commons^™

Impact Of Draft Order On Stress Sonography Of The Ulnar Collateral Ligament Of The Elbow In Professional Baseball Pitchers: An 18-Year Study, Adeeb Hanna, John Sonnier, Brian Fliegel, Matthew Sherman, Michael Ciccotti, Robert Jack, Steven Cohen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The MLB draft is a common route for players to enter professional baseball in the United States. Individuals taken in earlier rounds are typically higher-performing players. When looking at pitchers specifically, higher performance at the amateur level may be associated with increased frequency of adaptive change in the throwing elbow.

Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine if players taken in earlier rounds of the MLB draft have a greater frequency or extent of pathological change in the elbow, as measured by dynamic stress ultrasound.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study Methods: Dynamic stress ultrasounds (SUS) were performed over an 18-year period on the …

Adaptive Changes Of The Ulnar Collateral Ligament Of Professional Baseball From Different Climates Over Multiple Seasons: An 18-Year Study, Adeeb Hanna, Brian Fliegel, John Sonnier, Matthew Sherman, Michael Ciccotti, Robert Jack, Steven Cohen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is put under high levels of stress through the overhead throwing motion typical of professional baseball pitchers. In response to repetitive stress the UCL undergoes adaptive changes including thickening of the ligament and increased joint laxity under valgus stress. Studies examining the adaptive changes in the elbows of professional pitchers over multiple seasons are limited. Investigations such as this one offer insight into the changes in the UCL of professional pitchers over multiple years of professional play as well as the risk for injuries that may be associated with these changes.

Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose …