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Shoulder adaptive changes in youth baseball players.
William N Levine1, Mark L Brandon, Beth E Shubin Stein
1Center for Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
|August 22, 2006
Summary
Youth baseball players show significant shoulder adaptive changes during adolescence. Increased external rotation and laxity, along with decreased internal rotation, develop with age in throwing shoulders.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Pediatric Sports Science
Background:
- Overhand throwing in youth athletes leads to shoulder adaptations.
- The onset and progression of these adaptive changes during adolescence are not well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in shoulder range of motion (ROM) and laxity in youth baseball players.
- To determine if adaptive changes in the throwing shoulder manifest during adolescence.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 298 male baseball players aged 8–28 years.
- Subjects were divided into three age groups: 8–12, 13–14, and 15–28 years.
- Shoulder ROM (external and internal rotation in abduction) and inferior laxity were measured and compared between dominant and non-dominant shoulders across age groups.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in dominant shoulder external rotation and internal rotation were observed between all age groups.
- External rotation in abduction increased with age, while internal rotation in abduction decreased with age.
- Both dominant and non-dominant shoulders showed increased external rotation and decreased internal rotation with age; shoulder laxity also increased with age.
Conclusions:
- Shoulder range of motion and laxity in youth baseball players undergo adaptive changes that begin during adolescence.
- These findings highlight the impact of repetitive overhand throwing on the developing shoulder in young athletes.