title: Elbow Injuries in Youth Baseball Players Without Prior Elbow Pain: A 1-Year Prospective Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many risk factors for throwing injuries have been proposed. However, little is known about the risk factors for elbow injuries, particularly on physeal injuries in youth baseball players without prior elbow pain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the risk factors for elbow injuries with a focus on physeal injuries that could predispose youth baseball players without elbow pain to elbow injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective epidemiology study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2006, 449 players without prior elbow pain were observed prospectively for 1 season to study injury incidence in relation to specific risk factors. The average age was 10.1 years (range, 7-11 years). One year later, all players were examined by administering a questionnaire, physical examination, and radiographic examination. Data for the groups with and without elbow pain were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 449 participants, 30.5% reported episodes of elbow pain during the season. Of the players who reported elbow pain, 72.3% presented abnormal findings on physical examination, and of those players, 81.4% had radiographic abnormalities. Multivariate analysis showed that the age of 12 years (at 1-year examination), pitcher and catcher positions, and playing more than 100 games per year were risk factors for elbow pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is expected that 30% of youth baseball players have elbow pain each year, and nearly 60% of players with elbow pain exhibit radiographic abnormalities. The age of 12 years, pitcher and catcher positions, and playing more than 100 games per year are risk factors for elbow pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Institute of Health Bioscience, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Institute of Health Bioscience, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzue
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tokyo Kosei-nenkin Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kashiwaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Institute of Health Bioscience, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kokichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arisawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Institute of Health Bioscience, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yasui
keywords: baseball; elbow; physeal injury; risk factors; youth