eMedicine Specialties > Sports Medicine > Upper Limb

Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury: Follow-up

Author: Robert F Kacprowicz, MD, Program Director, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Residency in Emergency Medicine
Coauthor(s): Eric Chumbley, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Sports Medicine, Trover Clinic
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Sep 26, 2007

Follow-up

Return to Play

Competition may be resumed when the following criteria are met:

  • The athlete is pain free with throwing.
  • Elbow and shoulder ROM has returned to within normal limits.
  • Forearm strength has returned to baseline.
  • Good throwing biomechanics have been established.

Complications

  • Ulnar nerve injury or entrapment may occur.
  • Chronic instability is possible.

Prevention

Injuries to the UCL are best prevented by ensuring proper throwing biomechanics. Coaches are essential to assessing the proper throwing techniques in the athlete. Thorough warm-up and flexibility exercises also play an essential role in preventing UCL injuries.

Prognosis

Return to competitive throwing by the patient is possible after successful rehabilitation and reconstruction, when indicated.

Education

Proper throwing technique is essential to preventing UCL injuries; therefore, athlete education is critical. Analysis of the athlete's throwing technique and constructive criticism by coaches may be helpful.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to consider UCL injury despite negative radiographic findings
  • Failure to refer patients with suspected complete UCL tears

Special Concerns

  • Pediatric patients, because of immaturity of their elbows, may experience an avulsion injury of the medial epicondyle due to tensile loads of the valgus elbow. The lateral elbow undergoes corresponding compressive loads that could result in problems such as osteochondritis dissecans or Panner disease of the capitellum.
 


More on Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury

Overview: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
Treatment & Medication: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
Follow-up: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
References
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References

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  2. Lee ML, Rosenwasser MP. Chronic elbow instability. Orthop Clin North Am. Jan 1999;30(1):81-9. [Medline].

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  7. Timmerman LA, Schwartz ML, Andrews JR. Preoperative evaluation of the ulnar collateral ligament by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography arthrography. Evaluation in 25 baseball players with surgical confirmation. Am J Sports Med. Jan-Feb 1994;22(1):26-31; discussion 32. [Medline].

  8. Sasaki J, Takahara M, Ogino T, et al. Ultrasonographic assessment of the ulnar collateral ligament and medial elbow laxity in college baseball players. J Bone Joint Surg Am. Apr 2002;84-A(4):525-31. [Medline].

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  14. Halpern BC. Elbow and arm injuries. In: Birrer RB, ed. Sports Medicine for the Primary Care Physician. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press; 1994:435-41.

  15. Hyman J, Breazeale NM, Altchek DW. Valgus instability of the elbow in athletes. Clin Sports Med. Jan 2001;20(1):25-45, viii. [Medline].

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Further Reading

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Keywords

medial collateral ligament injury, little leaguer's elbow, UCL injury, elbow injury/trauma, elbow pain, valgus elbow instability

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Robert F Kacprowicz, MD, Program Director, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Residency in Emergency Medicine
Robert F Kacprowicz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Eric Chumbley, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Sports Medicine, Trover Clinic
Eric Chumbley, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, and Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Craig C Young, MD, Associate Professor, Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Community and Family Medicine, Medical Director of Sports Medicine, Sports Medicine Fellowship Director, Medical College of Wisconsin
Craig C Young, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, Phi Beta Kappa, and Wilderness Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Henry T Goitz, MD, Chief, Sports Medicine, Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical College of Ohio
Henry T Goitz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Jon B Whitehurst, MD, Clinical Instructor of Surgery, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Partner and Executive Board Member, Rockford Orthopedic Associates; Orthopedic Chairman, Rockford Memorial Hospital
Jon B Whitehurst, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Sherwin SW Ho, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Chicago
Sherwin SW Ho, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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