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Background: Osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum (capitellar OCD) is a common injury among youth baseball players, but there are only a few studies that report on return to play with nonoperative treatment. Purpose: To evaluate the medial elbow joint laxity under valgus stress and radiocapitellar congruity in patients with capitellar OCD and evaluate their relationship to predicting rehabilitation outcome. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Capitellar OCD was diagnosed in 81 patients included in our study. All patients were elementary school students who initially received rehabilitation treatment after injury. The rates of return to the same level of play or higher (RTSP) were calculated and correlated with the joint gap difference between the dominant and nondominant elbows using ultrasound and radiocapitellar congruity (proximal, lateral, and anterior radial translation length), which was assessed using plain radiographs of the dominant elbow. Results: The overall RTSP rates of patients with nonoperative treatment was 70.4% (57/81). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified OCD classification (stage I, odds ratio [OR], 4.076; 95% CI, 1.171-14.190) and 1 continuous variable (proximal radial translation length on anteroposterior view, OR, 0.661; 95% CI, 0.479-0.911) as the significant predictive factors for outcome after nonoperative treatment. Conclusion: The early stage of capitellar OCD in youth baseball players can be successfully treated nonoperatively in the majority of cases. The presence of proximal radial translation can predict the outcome of nonoperative management of capitellar OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow are common among youth baseball players. Hypothesis: A prevention program will reduce the incidence of throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow by 50% among youth baseball players. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: The authors block randomized 16 youth baseball teams consisting of 237 players aged 9 to 11 years into an intervention group (8 teams, 117 players) and a control group (8 teams, 120 players). The intervention program consisted of 5 stretching, 2 dynamic mobility, and 2 balance training exercises performed during warm-up. Both groups were followed up for 12 months, during which the incidence of shoulder and elbow injuries was recorded. In addition, ball speed during pitching as a performance-related factor and variables of physical function (passive range of motion of the elbow, shoulder and hip, dynamic balance, and thoracic kyphosis angle) were assessed during the pre- and postintervention periods. Results: The incidence of shoulder and elbow injuries in the intervention group (1.7 per 1000 athlete-exposures) was significantly lower than that in the control group (3.1 per 1000 athlete-exposures) (hazard ratio, 1.940; 95% CI, 1.175-3.205; P =.010). The factors related to pitching performance, as assessed by ball speed, tended to increase in the intervention group as compared with the control group (P =.010). The program also improved shoulder horizontal adduction deficits on the dominant side, hip internal rotation on the nondominant side, and the thoracic kyphosis angle. Conclusion: A prevention program decreases throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow and enhances the parameter of pitching performance in youth baseball players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]