Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament: Injury, Treatment Options, and Recovery in Overhead Throwing Athletes

The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the elbow has been a subject of extensive research and discussion in recent years not only in the medical community but also in the media and by coaches, players, and parents. This is in part due to the rising incidence of UCL injuries and subsequent surgical r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current sports medicine reports 2019-09, Vol.18 (9), p.338-345, Article 338
Main Authors: Zaremski, Jason L, Vincent, Kevin R, Vincent, Heather K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Athletes
Athletic Injuries - diagnosis
Athletic Injuries - therapy
Collateral Ligament, Ulnar - injuries
Elbow - injuries
Humans
Return to Sport
Risk Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the elbow has been a subject of extensive research and discussion in recent years not only in the medical community but also in the media and by coaches, players, and parents. This is in part due to the rising incidence of UCL injuries and subsequent surgical reconstruction, specifically in overhead throwing athletes. Due to this widespread increase in injury to this structure, it is paramount to understand when it is appropriate to pursue nonoperative versus operative management. As such, the purpose of this article will be to review the basic anatomy, risk factors for UCL injury in overhead throwing athletes, treatment approaches, and future directions for prevention and treatment of injury based on the evidence-based data in the peer-reviewed literature.
ISSN:1537-8918
1537-8918
DOI:10.1249/jsr.0000000000000629