Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
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Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that hold bones together. In the elbow joint, the ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL, holds the ulna (e.g., lower arm bone) to the humerus (e.g., upper arm bone). When the ulnar collateral ligament gets torn due to injury, the elbow can become unstable.
The ulnar collateral ligament may become stretched or even torn due to a single traumatic episode—or more commonly, repetitive stress, such as throwing a baseball.
Prevention
Reduce your risk.
It is important for parents, coaches, and athletes to understand the risks of pushing too hard in an athletic arena.
Here are a few UCL injury prevention tips for athletes:● Understand the importance of “pitch counts” and limiting an athlete’s use of his arm● Schedule a full sports medicine physician in the off season to evaluate if the athlete has physical findings that might predispose them to injury● Do exercises to strengthen the muscles in the right places:● Hip, legs & core strengthening, and flexibility exercises.● Rotator cuff strengthening exercises● Upper & lower extremity stretches● Work with a pitching coach who understands proper throwing mechanics
Symptoms
Pinpoint your pain.
With a UCL injury, you may experience:● Pain on the medial side (inside, or pinky finger side) of the arm, from the elbow to the wrist● Soreness on the inside edge of your elbow● Minor swelling along the inside of your arm● Possible numbness and tingling in your arm● Occasionally, a baseball player who tears his UCL may feel a “pop” with intense pain after throwing
Diagnosis
Get the answers you need.
A torn ulnar collateral ligament is diagnosed by physical examination, which includes taking your medical history. Your orthopaedic surgeon may gently feel your elbow joint to locate the specific area of pain. Or, the surgeon may slightly bend your arm, while applying pressure along the outside of your elbow joint (valgus stress test), or ask you to mimic a throwing motion as he or she resists against it (moving valgus stress test). To provide a definitive diagnosis, your surgeon may order an X-ray or MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis and to rule out other possible damage.
Treatment
Life’s too short to put up with pain.
Treatment for ulnar collateral ligament tear ranges from rest and physical therapy to surgery, depending on the severity of the injury. The doctors call it an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR); baseball players and fans call it “Tommy John surgery”—named after the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who was the first to have the surgery in 1974. It is designed to restore medial stability of the elbow, enabling athletes to make a full return to their previous activities.