Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Aug 27;7(8):2325967119866734.
doi: 10.1177/2325967119866734. eCollection 2019 Aug.

Do Professional Baseball Players With a Higher Valgus Carrying Angle Have an Increased Risk of Shoulder and Elbow Injuries?

Brandon J Erickson  1 , Peter N Chalmers  2 , John Zajac  3 , Terrance Sgroi  4 , Jonathan James Eno  5 , David W Altchek  4 , Joshua S Dines  4 , Struan H Coleman  4
Affiliations

Do Professional Baseball Players With a Higher Valgus Carrying Angle Have an Increased Risk of Shoulder and Elbow Injuries?

Brandon J Erickson et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: There are many risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in professional baseball pitchers. The elbow carrying angle has not been studied as a potential risk factor.

Purpose/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to determine whether elbow carrying angle is a risk factor for shoulder or elbow injuries in professional baseball pitchers. We hypothesized that pitchers with a higher elbow carrying angle would be less likely to sustain an injury during the season than pitchers with a lower elbow carrying angle.

Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: All professional pitchers for a single baseball club during the 2018 season had the carrying angle of both elbows measured at spring training by a single examiner. The pitchers were followed prospectively throughout the season. Shoulder and elbow injuries were recorded prospectively.

Results: A total of 52 pitchers (21 [40%] Major League Baseball and 31 [60%] Minor League Baseball) were included. During the season, 23 (44%) pitchers became injured. The mean carrying angle in the throwing arm was 12.5° ± 4.2° versus 9.9° ± 2.8° in the nonthrowing arm (P < .001). Comparing the injured and noninjured groups, there were no differences in level of play (P = .870), throwing hand dominance (P = .683), batting hand dominance (P = .554), throwing-side carrying angle (P = .373), nonthrowing-side carrying angle (P = .773), or side-to-side difference in carrying angle (P = .481).

Conclusion: The elbow carrying angle was not associated with an injury risk during a single season in professional baseball pitchers.

Keywords: Major League Baseball (MLB); carrying angle; elbow; injury prevention; pitcher; shoulder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: B.J.E. has received research support from DePuy and Smith & Nephew. P.N.C. has received educational support from Tornier. J.J.E. has received educational support from Smith & Nephew. D.W.A. has received educational support from Arthrex and Stryker. J.S.D. has received consulting fees from Arthrex, Linvatec, DePuy, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Trice, and Wright Medical; speaking fees from Arthrex; research support from Arthrex; royalties from Wolters Kluwer Health–Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; and hospitality payments from Horizon Pharma. S.H.C. has received consulting fees from Stryker/Pivot Medical, speaking fees from Smith & Nephew, and royalties from Blue Belt Technologies and has stock/stock options in Blue Belt Technologies and CyMedica Orthopedics. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The goniometer and setup for the measurements. The hand is completely supinated, the elbow is in full extension, the distal limb of the goniometer is centered on the wrist, and the proximal end of the goniometer is centered on the humeral shaft.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anz AW, Bushnell BD, Griffin LP, Noonan TJ, Torry MR, Hawkins RJ. Correlation of torque and elbow injury in professional baseball pitchers. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38(7):1368–1374. - PubMed
    1. Axe MJ, Strube M, Osinski D, Andrews JR, Snyder-Mackler L. A speed distance-based classification system for injury prevention and research in international and domestic youth baseball players. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2014;9(3):346–355. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bushnell BD, Anz AW, Noonan TJ, Torry MR, Hawkins RJ. Association of maximum pitch velocity and elbow injury in professional baseball pitchers. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38(4):728–732. - PubMed
    1. Cain EL, Jr, Andrews JR, Dugas JR, et al. Outcome of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction of the elbow in 1281 athletes: results in 743 athletes with minimum 2-year follow-up. Am J Sports Med. 2010;38(12):2426–2434. - PubMed
    1. Camp CL, Dines JS, van der List JP, et al. Summative report on time out of play for Major and Minor League Baseball: an analysis of 49,955 injuries from 2011 through 2016. Am J Sports Med. 2018;46(7):1727–1732. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources