2021 Annual Meeting Pediatrics Access Pass-Adolescent Pitcher Fatigue: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Stress, Flexor-Pronator Mass Energy Depletion, and Correlation to Pitch Count

Adolescent Pitcher Fatigue: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Stress, Flexor-Pronator Mass Energy Depletion, and Correlation to Pitch Count

Back to course

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses adolescent pitcher fatigue and the importance of pitch counts. They acknowledge the Lyman study from 2001, which recommended 75 pitches for 9 to 12-year-olds. They mention improvements in pitch count recommendations from organizations like Little League Baseball and Pitch Smart USA. The speaker highlights the high incidence of elbow pain in young throwers and the increased risk of injury when throwing through fatigue and pain. They speculate that the rise in injuries could be due to fatigue in the flexor pronator mass, the primary dynamic stabilizer protecting the UCL. The speaker then describes their pilot study on 10-year-old pitchers, focusing on their pitch count recommendation of 75. They measured medial elbow laxity, muscle characteristics, velocity, grip strength, and subjective fatigue. While there was no change in elbow laxity, there were changes in the muscle belly and a significant decrease in grip strength between 50 and 75 pitches. The speaker suggests that the sweet spot for pitch counts might be somewhere between 50 and 75, but further research is needed. The video concludes with gratitude to co-authors and the research team.

Asset Caption

Dr. Michael Freehill

Keywords

adolescent pitcher fatigue

pitch counts

Lyman study

Little League Baseball

Pitch Smart USA