Watch out for the boys of summer. A recent study examined 95 patients from 8 to 17 years of age who were all found to be suffering from Little League Shoulder (LLS). The subjects came from a single pediatric referral center between the years 1999 and 2013.
According to a report by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) the treatment options for players included rest in 98% of the cases, physical therapy in 79% and a position change on the field for 25% after they had returned to play.
The average time for return to play was 4.2 months. Almost a third of the young athletes showed a reduced range of motion and these same patients were three times more likely to experience a recurrence of their injury 6 to 12 months after returning to play. Baseball players made up 97% of the affected athletes and half of them were between the ages of 12 and 13.
Benton E. Heyworth, M.D., who was involved in the study, said, “The data showed 13% of patients treated also reported elbow pain, 10% reported shoulder pain or weakness, and 8% reported other mechanical symptoms. These related symptoms should be recognized as possible identifiers for injured athletes in the future.”
