Medial elbow torque during baseball hitting: considerations for return to play.

Area of Science:

• Sports Biomechanics
• Orthopedic Research
• Baseball Performance Analysis

Background:

• Increasing incidence of ulnar collateral ligament injuries in baseball players.
• Limited understanding of medial elbow loads during baseball hitting.
• Trail arm medial elbow stress during baseball hitting remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the stress experienced by the medial elbow of the trail arm during baseball hitting.
• To compare elbow varus torque between wood and aluminum bats.
• To investigate the effect of swing location on elbow varus torque.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 13 NCAA Division 1 baseball players hitting plastic balls from a tee.
• Utilized 2 bat types (wood and aluminum) and 4 swing locations (dry, inside, middle, outside).
• Generated biomechanical models from video motion capture to calculate peak elbow varus torque and bat swing velocity.

Main Results:

• Average peak elbow varus torque was 22.15 ± 4.79 N-m.
• No significant effect of bat type on elbow varus torque or swing velocity.
• Outside swings resulted in significantly greater elbow varus torque and swing velocity compared to dry or inside swings.

Conclusions:

• Peak trail arm elbow varus torque during hitting is below the failure load of the ulnar collateral ligament.
• Outside swing locations generate the highest elbow varus torque and swing velocity.
• Findings provide insights into medial elbow loading mechanics during baseball hitting.