Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears: Rehabilitation and Throwing Programs.

Abstract

The incidence of ulnar collateral ligament injuries has increased over the past decade. As a result, the rate of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction has increased dramatically at all levels of competition in overhead athletes. Currently, there is no consensus on milestones during rehabilitation or a largely agreed-upon structured throwing program after ulnar collateral ligament injuries. It is important to outline the criteria that should be met during rehabilitation and provide an evidence-based structured throwing program that can be implemented to improve and optimize an athlete's chances of returning to the same level of throwing. These guidelines may be used for rehabilitation after an injury is managed surgically or nonsurgically.