Effect of Fatigue Protocols on Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Function and Implications for Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury Prevention

Joint position and force senses in young female tennis players and untrained adolescents

The aim of the study was to determine the differences between tennis players and untrained peers in the development of upper limb proprioception in 10-15-year-olds. A group of 67 girls (12.75 ± 1.46 years old), including 33 tennis players and 34 age-matched untrained controls, was divided into three age groups: A1, 10-11-years-old; A2, 12-13-years-old; and A3, 14-15-years-old. Joint position sense (JPS) and force sense (FS) were assessed by reproducing memorized target angle or torque value of three joints: glenohumeral, elbow, and radiocarpal. The JPS error for the elbow joint in group A1 was 71% and 80% higher (p < 0.01) than that in groups A2 and A3, respectively, and the performance of all tennis players was 27.5% (p = 0.01) better than that of untrained controls. For FS, proprioception of only the more demanding task tested (reproduction of 50% maximal voluntary contraction) and specific function (elbow and radiocarpal extension, and glenohumeral internal rotation) showed development with age. The error values for elbow extension (A1, A2) and the glenohumeral joint (A3) of tennis players were lower than those of age-matched controls. We conclude that the development of FS in the upper limb varied and was related to the specific functions and joints. The 10-13-year-old tennis players showed elbow extensor FS performance at the level of the older participants, while the 14-15-year-old tennis players were characterized with superior FS internal rotation performance in the glenohumeral joint.

Rehabilitation Following Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Overhead-Throwing Athletes

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The prevalence of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury and UCL reconstruction (UCL-R) continues to rise, causing morbidity in overhead-throwing athletes.

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Postoperative rehabilitation protocols are essential for proper healing of the reconstructed ligament and safely returning athletes to competition, yet there is no uniformly accepted standard of care.

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UCL-R rehabilitation has traditionally been guided by expert opinion and conventional wisdom rather than scientific studies, resulting in substantial variability in rehabilitation practices, time to return to play, and outcomes.

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Current research efforts aim to closely investigate the biomechanical implications of UCL-R and overhead throwing to better guide rehabilitation and to improve competitive performance and outcomes.

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Additional biomechanical and scientific studies on rehabilitation modalities and timing are warranted for systematic analysis, optimization, and standardization of UCL-R rehabilitation.