quote:I just got an email from a coach here in Ontario that has a player that (because bone chips have torn his elbow up so much) may have to get his elbow REPLACED!!! 15 years old and he is he is finished as a ball player. This is a result of misdiagnosis from whom ever he told that his elbow hurt. Absolutely tragic...
I agree it's tragic. Unfortunately, it also reflects that lack of knowledge that exists among both coaches and MDs about what to do to prevent these injuries.
Elbow chips are caused by bones slamming together. In this case, while you can't know exactly what happened without knowing where the bone chips were found, the most likely cause of the problem is the tip of the Olecranon (the elbow end of the Ulna bone) slamming into its fossa in the Humerus (upper arm bone).
- Illustration of the Ulna
This is generally caused by the rapid extension of the elbow that occurs as the pitching arm is accelerated. As the rate at which the shoulders turn starts to decrease, the pitching forearm rapidly flies out 90 or more degrees. Unfortunately, the rate at which the forearm flies out can exceed what the muscles of the arm (especially the Brachialis) can handle, which causes the bones to slam together as the elbow extends to the limit of its stops (and sometimes beyond in which case you get a hyperextension). This can be worsened if the forearm is supinated at the moment the elbow reaches the limit of its extension.