Most throwing injury treatments begin with rest
Non-Surgical:
- Physical Therapy: Specific exercises can help restore flexibility and strength
- Change of Position: Evaluating your throwing mechanics can help put your body in the correct position to limit stress on your elbow
- Anti-Inflammatory Medication: Ibuprofen and Naproxen reduces pain and swelling
Surgical:
If symptoms do not reduce with non-surgical treatment or the athlete wishes to continue throwing, surgical may be required. Surgical procedures include:
- Arthroscopy: Bone spurs on the olecranon, loose fragments of bone or cartilage within the the elbow joint will be removed.
- UCL Reconstruction: Patients with unstable or torn UCL ligaments and do not see results with non-surgical treatment are eligible for surgical ligament reconstruction. During this procedure doctors replace the torn ligament with tissue graft. In most cases, the ligament can be repaired with one of the patients own tendons. This procedure is commonly known as Tommy John Surgery.