Rehabilitation Following Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Overhead-Throwing Athletes

The prevalence of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury and UCL reconstruction (UCL-R) continues to rise, causing morbidity in overhead-throwing athletes.

Postoperative rehabilitation protocols are essential for proper healing of the reconstructed ligament and safely returning athletes to competition, yet there is no uniformly accepted standard of care.

UCL-R rehabilitation has traditionally been guided by expert opinion and conventional wisdom rather than scientific studies, resulting in substantial variability in rehabilitation practices, time to return to play, and outcomes.

Current research efforts aim to closely investigate the biomechanical implications of UCL-R and overhead throwing to better guide rehabilitation and to improve competitive performance and outcomes.

Additional biomechanical and scientific studies on rehabilitation modalities and timing are warranted for systematic analysis, optimization, and standardization of UCL-R rehabilitation.