The prediction of pitching injuries of the shoulder and elbow by comparing the ROM between dominant and non-dominant side on neck/trunk rotations and hip internal rotation

Abstract

The pitching motion requires neck, trunk and hip rotations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between pitching injuries and dominant versus nondominant differences of the ranges of these motions. The subjects were 66 high school baseball pitchers who received medical checkup during baseball classes in Kyoto prefecture. During medical checkup, physical therapists measured the ranges of neck/trunk rotations, and internal rotation of the bilateral hips. Then orthopaedic doctors did special tests such as shoulder internal impingement test, subacromial impingement test, elbow valgus stress test and elbow hyper extension test. Fourteen pitchers (21.2%) who were positive in one or more special tests were judged to require second screening (injured group). In normal group, average neck/trunk rotations toward the non-dominant side were significantly wider than rotations toward the dominant side. Average hip internal rotation was significantly wider on the non-dominant side than on the dominant side. In injured group, a larger number of pitchers had wider neck and trunk rotation ranges toward the dominant side than toward the non-dominant side, and had wide hip internal rotation range on the dominant side compared to the non-dominant side. Comparing the ranges of the neck/trunk rotations and hip internal rotation between dominant and non-dominant sides might be useful for the prediction of pitching injuries of the shoulder and the elbow.