Conditions & Treatments
- A to Z Guide

Little league elbow

Disease Information

In-Depth

Causes

Elbow joints are made up of three bones—the upper arm bone is connected to the two bones in the forearm by a joint that works like a hinge. Around all these bones are muscles, ligaments and tendons that keep the keep it all together, and help the arm bend and move.

Pitching too much and too often, or simply throwing in a way that hurts the arm, can put a lot of stress on these tendons, ligaments and bones. There are several little soft areas of cartilage, called apophyses, at each end of most bones, and as older children stop growing, these areas turn into bone and harden. But before they harden, they are very easy to injure, and when players—mostly ages 9 to 14—throw too much, these areas can get inflamed and sore.

Signs and symptoms

Without treatment, the ligaments and tendons may tear away from the bone or parts of the bone can separate from each other. Continuing to play through this kind of pain can make the injury worse, and your child should stop throwing and see a doctor if he has the following symptoms:

Pain in any part of the elbow
Swelling
Difficulty straightening the arm all the way
Sometimes, a bump appears on the inside of the elbow
A locked or stiff elbow

Throwing guidelines

One of the most important things to know about little league elbow is that it can be prevented. Just by limiting the amount your child throws, you can prevent injury from happening. Even if your child already has little league elbow, these prevention guidelines can help him stay healthy when he returns to the sport.

USA Baseball has come up with pitch counts for young athletes. These guidelines should be applied to practices, games and multiple leagues as well. For proper reset, pitchers should not pitch on consecutive days, and should have three months a year without pitching.

9- to 10-year-old pitchers: