Relationship between shoulder rotation deficit and elbow instability in healthy baseball players

Elbow valgus instability is a risk factor for elbow medial collateral ligament injury. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between shoulder range of motion and elbow valgus instability using an ultrasound imaging system. A questionnaire and ultrasound examination were used for the study.

Thirty-seven high school baseball players (15-18 years) with no history of shoulder or elbow disorders were included. Shoulder range of motion was measured at 90° of adduction, 10° of horizontal adduction, and 90° of elbow flexion in the supine resting position. To evaluate elbow valgus instability, an ultrasound imaging system was used to measure the shortest distance from the apex of the ulnar capitulum to the humeral glenoid with 2.5 kg of valgus stress applied to the ulnohumeral joint. The presence of elbow valgus instability was determined by the value obtained by subtracting the joint space distance on the non-throwing side from that on the throwing side. Student's t-test was applied for the range of shoulder rotation between the two groups, and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for the relationship between the range of shoulder rotation and elbow instability. Statistical significance was set at 5%.

The range of internal and total shoulder rotation was significantly lower in participants with elbow valgus instability than those without elbow valgus instability (P<0.001). In addition, a significant moderate correlation was found in the range of internal (r=0.608, P<0.001) and total shoulder (r=0.479, P<0.001) rotations.

Decreased shoulder range of motion may affect elbow valgus instability.