Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries: Indications, Management, and Outcomes

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries continue to be a major source of morbidity in baseball players. The throwing motion creates nearly supraphysiological levels of valgus stress on the medial elbow, placing these athletes at high risk of UCL injury. The incidence of injury continues to rise at an alarming rate, especially among adolescent baseball pitchers. Certain risk factors for UCL injury have been identified, including pitch velocity, fewer days between outings, and overall workload. Treatment of UCL injuries depends on the type of tear. Low- to medium-grade partial UCL tears (i.e., grade I or II tears) are usually amenable to a period of rest and a graduated throwing program. Recently, platelet-rich plasma has been described as another treatment modality to consider in a throwing athlete with a partial UCL tear, although robust clinical data are currently lacking. Most athletes can return to competitive throwing in 3 to 4 months after nonoperative management of a low-grade partial UCL tear. Indications for surgical management of a UCL injury are a complete (type III) tear or failure of extensive conservative management after a partial UCL tear. UCL reconstruction remains the gold standard for operative management of a complete UCL tear. Both the modified Jobe technique and the docking technique have shown excellent results with return-to-play rates between 80% and 90%. Recently, UCL repair with collagen-dipped suture tape augmentation has gained some popularity. However, long-term results are lacking, especially in elite athletes. Time to return to play after UCL reconstruction is variable. Most athletes return to full competition in 12 to 15 months, although professional pitchers often require 15 to 18 months to return to their previous level of competition. Revision rates remain low (1%-7%), yet the revision rate is expected to rise as the number of UCL reconstructions performed in the United States continues to increase.