Abstract
The purpose of this study was to address the usefulness of medical checks for detecting elbow injuries in child and adolescent baseball players. We carried out the medical checks in the field in 2006, and osteochondrosis of the humeral capitellum was diagnosed in 7 players. These players 1) had played baseball for more than 3 years, 2) were either pitchers or catchers, 3) had a history of elbow pain, and 4) had limited range of motion in the elbow. We investigated the percentage of each stage in these players in comparison with other outpatients. The primary stage was evident in 71.4% of the field group and 16.7% of the outpatient group. These results suggest that medical checks in the field are useful for early detection of elbow injuries.
It is important to determine the history of playing baseball, the defense position, elbow pain and limitation of range of motion to facilitate early detection.
