title: Throwing, the Shoulder, and Human Evolution.
abstract: Throwing with accuracy and speed is a skill unique to humans. Throwing has many advantages and the ability to throw has likely been promoted through natural selection in the evolution of humans. There are many unsolved questions regarding the anatomy of the human shoulder. The purpose of this article is to review many of these mysteries and propose that the answer to these questions can be understood if one views the shoulder as a joint that has evolved to throw.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. j.kuhn@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kuhn
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D006801:Humans; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012782:Shoulder / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*