The value of physical examination in conjunction with a survey for identifying youth pitchers with arm pain.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a screening survey in identifying injuries in youth baseball pitchers. It is hypothesized that a standalone survey is unlikely to give a complete picture and that an additional physical examination is necessary to identify all injuries.

METHODS

Seventy-seven youth baseball players who pitched in the last 12 months completed the survey. Players underwent physical examination if they reported a history of time-loss injury (16 players) or if they had any current complaints of pain without a history of time-loss injury (22 players).

RESULTS

This screening protocol resulted in positive physical examination findings in 37.6% of all 77 players. This included a rate of 56.3% of pitchers with a positive time-loss injury history and 90.9% of pitchers with a negative time-loss injury, but positive complaint of pain. The most common complaint in both groups was elbow tenderness with the most common location being the medial epicondyle.

CONCLUSION

While the survey was effective at identifying time-loss injuries, it may neglect more mild injuries, underestimating the percentage of players with pain and positive physical examination findings. The high frequency of positive examination findings in athletes without a history of time-loss injury demands further investigation.