Abstract
Overhead athletes frequently sustain injuries to their dominant elbow secondary to the high valgus and extension forces inherent to the throwing motion. The relatively unnatural motion of throwing can produce a myriad of pathological stresses on the structures about the elbow, namely tensile stresses medially, compression stresses laterally, and shear stresses posteromedially. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of elbow pain in the throwing athlete depends upon a detailed history, methodical physical examination, and appropriate ancillary tests when needed, as any of the above mentioned stresses may produce varying types of lesions in the elbow joint. The clinician must possess a thorough understanding of the functional anatomy and biomechanical characteristics of the complex elbow articulation to efficiently evaluate and diagnosis such pathologies in the thrower’s elbow.
This chapter reviews the proper components of a thorough history and physical examination on the elbow in the overhead sport athlete.
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Piwnica-Worms, W., Grawe, B., Dines, J. (2015). History and Physical Exam on the Thrower’s Elbow. In: Dines, J., Altchek, D. (eds) Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7540-9_6
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