Three-dimensional dynamics of elbow and shoulder joint throwing motion in relation to throwing arm movement and injury in baseball

This study was designed to clarify the causes of throwing injuries of the elbow and shoulder joints in baseball. Five varsity-skilled baseball players without pain in the elbow and shoulder joints were subjects for this study. They were fixed to a chair and asked to throw a baseball using three different throwing arm movements (T₀, T₄₅, and T₉₀). These movements were filmed using three-dimensional DLT videography. Linked rigid-body segment inverse dynamics were then employed to determine resultant joint force and torque at the elbow and shoulder joints. Peak varus torque at the elbow joint for T₉₀ was less than for the other movements during the acceleration phase. In the follow-through phase, however, a large anterior shear force (70 N) at the elbow, for elbow extension, was present for T₉₀. These results indicate that T₉₀ was a high risk movement which leads to extension injuries rather than medial tension injuries. After the ball release, a large superior shear force (118 N) at the shoulder joint was present in all movements. This superior force may result from the subacromial impingement syndrome, except for critical zones of impingement caused by the different throwing arm movements. These findings suggest that the mechanisms of throwing arm injuries are closely related to differences in throwing arm movements.