A Comparison of Stress Placed on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in High School Baseball Pitchers versus Softball Pitchers

Abstract

Stress placed on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) is known to be a common mechanism of injury for baseball pitchers, and many studies have been conducted observing the reasoning behind this. However, there have been minimal studies looking into stress placed on the UCL during a windmill softball pitch. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in various aspects of the upper extremity during a pitch (e.g., arm stress, arm slot, arm speed, pitch speed and shoulder rotation) using the motusThrow™ device to collect data during live pitching sessions. It also compared the results found in baseball versus softball pitchers. It was hypothesized that the reason increased stress is seen in the UCLs of baseball pitchers when compared to softball pitchers is due to the angle of the elbow in relation to the shoulder at the time of ball release during the two different types of pitches. This study explored the upper extremity variables seen during baseball and softball pitches and collected data that was examined comparing these aspects and hypothesized why increased UCL stress may be more common in baseball pitchers than softball pitchers.