How do we treat thrower’s elbow?

In my last post, I highlighted elbow injuries in the throwing athlete. Lets review!

“For many pitchers, the first sign of impending trouble with the UCL(ulnar collateral ligament on inside of the elbow) is pain or stiffness in the flexors of the forearm. The flexors and pronators of the forearm are the active restraints and the UCL is the primary passive restraint to the extreme valgus forces that occur at the elbow during terminal cocking phase and early acceleration. Did you know that when the UCL is tested in isolation during cadaver studies that it only takes 32 newton/meters of force to rupture it? Guess how much valgus stress is on the inside part of the elbow during terminal cocking phase….64 newton/meters!! It has been shown that the UCL takes on 35 newton/meters of that force. Yikes!! So why doesn’t it rupture? It doesn’t rupture because the rest of that stress is controlled by the active restraints…your muscles in the forearm. You can probably guess what happens when you ignore your forearm muscles?”

It is my job as physical therapist to not only emphasize prevention of  an injury but to provide the most effective treatment of an injury. This video demonstrates the use of Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, and a compression flossing technique to treat elbow pain. Check it out!!