Has your youngster complained of shoulder and/or elbow pain? If your young baseball player is a first-string pitcher – or wants to be – then that pain could be Little League syndrome – an overuse sports injury affecting athletes who are still growing.
This condition can be Little League shoulder, Little League elbow, or both. Let’s talk about what Little League syndrome is, and how your orthopedic doctor in Baltimore can diagnose, treat, and help prevent further injury to the arm.
What Is Little League Syndrome?
Little League syndrome is a chronic musculoskeletal condition that affects either the shoulder or elbow joint, or sometimes both. It happens to young athletes, generally ages 7 to 18, who are baseball pitchers or sometimes volleyball players.
Kids with Little League syndrome tend to develop a number of symptoms, including:
- Joint pain is described as a constant ache and sometimes a sharp, stabbing pain
- Joint swelling
- Limited range of motion and strength
- Loose, or lax, ligaments (causing instability of movement)
- Bone spurs and/or bone shards in the joint (as detected via X-ray by your orthopedic doctor)
If this condition is left untreated by an orthopedic doctor, this sports injury will worsen. Over time, growth may be impeded in the sore arm, as the problem usually stems from inflammation near the ends of the radial and ulnar bones in the arm. Also, some patients even develop wear-and-tear arthritis (osteoarthritis) if it is not caught and medically treated early.
Causes of Little League Syndrome
This overuse injury typically develops because the young pitcher or athlete is:
- Throwing the ball too much (too many pitches in one day), or performing too many overhand volleyball serves in one day
- Throwing many breaking pitches (sliders and curveballs)
- Not warming up adequately before a game or before practice
- Not cooling down after a game or practice
- Using poor pitching or serving technique
Your orthopedic doctor will assess your injury and possibly also ask you to mimic how you perform your pitching or serving technique. The physician will then determine the precise cause of your injury so it can be treated and (hopefully) prevented from developing again.
How Does an Orthopedic Doctor Diagnose Little League Syndrome?
Your sports medicine doctor will review your medical history and consider your symptoms, perform an in-office examination of the hurting joint(s), and possibly order an X-ray to check for any growth plate problems.
What Are the Treatments for Little League Syndrome?
The most important part of recovery from and rehabilitation for Little League syndrome is resting the arm. That means either no baseball, no volleyball, or playing in a position that is less strenuous on the arm.
Your orthopedic doctor may recommend that you take over-the-counter pain-relief medicine to control pain and swelling. The physician may also recommend physical therapy to strengthen the supporting muscles in the arm.
Return to play should be gradual, and sports doctors recommend careful monitoring of the number of pitches or volleys the young athlete does during warmup and during the game itself. For instance, 11- to 12-year-olds should be limited to 85 total pitches a day.
If a player is under 16, no breaking pitches should be allowed, because this puts too much strenuous pressure on the growing arm. Coaches of baseball players and volleyball players should work with the athletes on proper warmup habits, cool-downs, and overhand techniques.
Sports Medicine in Maryland
Here at Greater Chesapeake Hand to Shoulder, our orthopedic doctors see patients of all ages. Our team takes great interest and pride in helping young athletes stay healthy, grow well, and enjoy the sports they love.
If you think your child may be suffering from Little League syndrome or another type of orthopedic issue, call us today at (410) 296-6232 or request an appointment now via our online form. We look forward to being your orthopedic partner!
