Little League shoulder is another name for which condition?

Little League shoulder is another name for which condition?

• A. Proximal humeral epiphysitis
• B. Nursemaid's elbow
• C. Medial epicondylitis
• D. Scoliosis

Answer: (A)

Overuse injury of the proximal humeral growth plate from repetitive overhead throwing in a young athlete is the key idea here. Little League shoulder is proximal humeral epiphysitis, a traction-type injury at the proximal humeral physis caused by repetitive throwing. In young throwers, the growth plate is still open and vulnerable to microtrauma from the rotator cuff and shoulder muscles during the late-cocking and early-acceleration phases of pitching or throwing. This can lead to ache around the shoulder, especially with throwing, and may show physeal widening on imaging, though early on it can be subtle. This contrasts with other elbow or shoulder conditions: nursemaid's elbow is a radial head subluxation from a sudden pull on an outstretched arm; medial epicondylitis is tendinopathy at the inner elbow from repetitive wrist flexion; scoliosis is a spinal curvature. Those conditions do not involve injury to the proximal humeral growth plate, which is specific to this question.

Overuse injury of the proximal humeral growth plate from repetitive overhead throwing in a young athlete is the key idea here. Little League shoulder is proximal humeral epiphysitis, a traction-type injury at the proximal humeral physis caused by repetitive throwing. In young throwers, the growth plate is still open and vulnerable to microtrauma from the rotator cuff and shoulder muscles during the late-cocking and early-acceleration phases of pitching or throwing. This can lead to ache around the shoulder, especially with throwing, and may show physeal widening on imaging, though early on it can be subtle.

This contrasts with other elbow or shoulder conditions: nursemaid's elbow is a radial head subluxation from a sudden pull on an outstretched arm; medial epicondylitis is tendinopathy at the inner elbow from repetitive wrist flexion; scoliosis is a spinal curvature. Those conditions do not involve injury to the proximal humeral growth plate, which is specific to this question.