Forearm Pronation at Foot Contact: A Biomechanical Motion-Capture Analysis in High School and Professional Pitchers.

Background: It has previously been speculated that baseball pitchers who display excessive forearm pronation at foot contact (FC) have a higher propensity toward ulnar collateral ligament injury and subsequent surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between degree of forearm pronation/supination at FC and throwing arm kinetics in high school and professional pitchers, at both the individual (intrapitcher) and the group (interpitcher) level.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Interval Throwing Programs at Distances Beyond 150 Feet Can Be Equivalent to Pitching Over Five Innings.

Purpose: To determine the cumulative elbow varus torque (EVT) experienced during created interval throwing programs (ITP) and derive innings pitched equivalent for each step.

Methods: High school pitchers wearing the motusBASEBALL sensor who had at least 50 throws at 90, 120, 150, and 180 ft and game pitches were included in this analysis. Means for EVT per throw and torque per minute were calculated at each distance.

Increased Shoulder Distraction Force and Shoulder Horizontal Abduction in Professional Baseball Pitchers With Discordant Torso Rotation Order.

Background: Inefficient energy transfer from the pelvis and trunk has been shown to increase compensation at the level of the shoulder. Kinetic chain sequencing of the core segments is underexamined in professional baseball pitchers, especially as it relates to changes in upper extremity kinetics.

Purpose: To evaluate elbow and shoulder kinetics in a cohort of professional pitchers differentiated by instances of discordant pelvic to upper torso sequencing during the pitch.

Association of Pitch Timing and Throwing Arm Kinetics in High School and Professional Pitchers.

Background: Understanding the relationship between the temporal phases of the baseball pitch and subsequent joint loading may improve our understanding of optimal pitching mechanics and contribute to injury prevention in baseball pitchers.

Purpose: To investigate the temporal phases of the pitching motion and their associations with ball velocity and throwing arm kinetics in high school (HS) and professional (PRO) baseball pitchers.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

The association of stride length to ball velocity and elbow varus torque in professional pitchers.

Professional basebal pitchers (n =315) were divided into quartiles based on increasing stride length and random intercept linear mixed-effect models were used to correlate stride length with ball velocity, pelvis and trunk rotation at foot contact, and throwing arm kinetics. Average stride length among all pitchers was 78.3±5.