Miltenberg Benjamin, Johns William L, Baumann Anthony N, Martinazzi Brandon J, Anaspure Omkar, Thomas Terence L, Ciccotti Michael G, Cohen Steven B
The Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, USA.
JSES Rev Rep Tech. 2025 May 21;5(3):533-540. doi: 10.1016/j.xrrt.2025.04.012. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries are common among throwing athletes due to the biomechanical forces acting on the elbow during the throwing motion. However, little data exist on UCL injuries in non-throwing athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine the functional outcome and return to sport after operative treatment of UCL injuries in non-throwing athletes and thereby better inform treatment guidelines for this patient population.
This systematic review searched PubMed, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus from database inception until November 1, 2024, for data regarding outcomes after UCL injuries in non-throwing athletes. Article types included case series, retrospective or prospective cohort studies, or randomized controlled trials. Article quality was graded via the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies and certainty via the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.
A total of six "moderate-quality" articles were included out of 945 articles initially retrieved. Non-throwing athletes (n = 95) had a frequency-weighted mean age of 19.9 ± 3.7 years with a frequency-weighted mean follow-up of 54.7 ± 2.4 months. Eleven sports were represented across four levels of competition from middle school to the professional level. From four studies, about 86% of athletes (n = 48 out of 56 athletes) returned to sport at the same or higher competitive level after operative treatment. Overall, patients had good functional outcomes at follow-up. Non-throwing athletes also had complication rates ranging from 0% to 18%, with only 2% of patients requiring a return to the operating room.
There is limited evidence available for outcomes in non-throwing athletes after UCL injury. However, the currently available research suggests that 86% of athletes may return to sport at the same or higher level and enjoy good functional outcomes with low complication rates. Additional research is needed to guide treatment for this patient population.
由于在投掷动作过程中作用于肘部的生物力学力量，尺侧副韧带（UCL）损伤在投掷运动员中很常见。然而，关于非投掷运动员尺侧副韧带损伤的数据很少。本研究的目的是检查非投掷运动员尺侧副韧带损伤手术治疗后的功能结果和重返运动情况，从而为这一患者群体的治疗指南提供更好的信息。
本系统评价检索了从数据库建立到2024年11月1日的PubMed、EMBASE和SPORTDiscus，以获取有关非投掷运动员尺侧副韧带损伤后结果的数据。文章类型包括病例系列、回顾性或前瞻性队列研究或随机对照试验。文章质量通过非随机研究方法学指数进行分级，证据确定性通过推荐分级、评估、制定和评价进行分级。
在最初检索的945篇文章中，共纳入了6篇“中等质量”的文章。非投掷运动员（n = 95）的频率加权平均年龄为19.9±3.7岁，频率加权平均随访时间为54.7±2.4个月。涵盖了从中学生到职业水平的四个竞争级别的11项运动。来自四项研究的数据显示，约86%的运动员（56名运动员中的48名）在手术）在手术治疗后以相同或更高的竞争水平重返运动。总体而言，患者在随访时功能结果良好。非投掷运动员的并发症发生率也在0%至18%之间，只有2%的患者需要再次手术。
关于非投掷运动员尺侧副韧带损伤后结果的证据有限。然而，目前可用的研究表明，86%的运动员可能以相同或更高的水平重返运动，并享有良好的功能结果和低并发症发生率。需要更多的研究来指导这一患者群体的治疗。
