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Sports Specific Outcomes for Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction

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Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury

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Abstract

Injury to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) most commonly occurs in overhead throwing athletes, particularly baseball pitchers, but is also seen in other specific subsets of athletes. Prior to the first UCL reconstruction performed by Jobe in 1974, the UCL rupture was a catastrophic event in professional baseball pitchers. Improvements in diagnosis, surgical technique, and rehabilitation programs have significantly improved outcomes for athletes.

The subsets of athletes most commonly associated with UCL injuries are baseball players, javelin throwers, softball players, tennis players, gymnasts, wrestlers, and football players. Injury to the UCL in these athletes causes pain and valgus instability, which can adversely affect athletic performance in various ways depending on the sport. Therefore, surgical treatment is often necessitated in order to return both recreational and high level athletes back to their respective sports. In this chapter, we look to explore outcomes specific to various sports in order to guide treatment and set expectations for return to sport.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rothman Institute, 925 Chestnut St., 5th Floor, 19107, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Thomas O’Hagan MD, Charlton Stucken MD & Christopher C. Dodson MD

Authors
  1. Thomas O’Hagan MD
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  2. Charlton Stucken MD
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  3. Christopher C. Dodson MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher C. Dodson MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA

    Joshua S. Dines

  2. Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA

    David W. Altchek

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O’Hagan, T., Stucken, C., Dodson, C. (2015). Sports Specific Outcomes for Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction. In: Dines, J., Altchek, D. (eds) Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7540-9_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7540-9_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-7539-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7540-9

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