Rotator Cuff Injuries High Among College Baseball Players

Almost half of all shoulder injuries among college baseball players are rotator cuff injuries, according to a new study.

In the study, “Analysis of common shoulder injuries in collegiate baseball players,” published online on June 23, 2021 in The Physician and Sportsmedicine, Mount Sinai researchers examined common shoulder injury data for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball players between the 2009-2010 and the 2013-2014 seasons.

They looked specifically at the rate of injuries involving the rotator cuff, labrum and biceps tendon. They also collected data on player position, need for surgery and reoccurrence of injury.

Using the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program database, Alexis Chiang Colvin, M.D., professor, department of orthopedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Daniel A. Chare, M.D., resident, department of orthopedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues found that rotator cuff injuries accounted for 46% of all shoulder injuries. And these injuries were more likely to be season ending.

The researchers also linked rotator cuff tears, rotator cuff tendonitis, SLAP tears and biceps tendonitis cases to pitching and throwing.

These findings support previous findings that advocate for improved injury prevention measures, including identifying rotator cuff weakness and decreased range of motion in the preseason to reduce injury risk during the regular season.

The researchers said however that they believe their study is the first to investigate the epidemiology of shoulder injuries in NCAA baseball players.

“Repetitive overhead throwing is a risk factor for shoulder injuries in collegiate baseball players, often leading to rotator cuff and biceps tendon injuries. While previous studies have evaluated strengthening and conditioning, pitch counts, and throwing mechanics, this research confirms there is still a high rate of shoulder injuries for repetitive overhead throwers,” the researchers wrote.

They advise physicians and trainers to refine and develop new injury prevention strategies to enhance care for collegiate baseball players.

“The majority of shoulder injuries in NCAA baseball players involve the rotator cuff. Unfortunately, players that ultimately sustain a tear of the rotator cuff are more likely to be out for the remainder of the baseball season,” Charen added.

“Although many important advances have been made optimizing the shoulder health of baseball players, there is still an opportunity to improve injury prevention and treatment strategies in these repetitive overhead throwers.”