Arm Health in Elite Collegiate Summer League Baseball Players Assessed by the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Score

Abstract

Context: Collegiate baseball players with professional aspirations often participate in summer leagues, foremost among them is the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Injuries acquired during the college baseball season can be carried into the CCBL season and vice versa. Objective: To assess throwing arm injury history and current functionality in mid-season CCBL players. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online questionnaire. Patients of Other Participants: 123 CCBL players participated. Qualifying athletes were ≥18 years old and a rostered CCBL player with remaining collegiate eligibility. Main Outcome Measures: After collecting background information, the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow questionnaire was employed to assess throwing arm injury history and current functionality. The maximum KJOC score is 100.0; higher scores correspond to greater functionality. Results: The mean KJOC score was 86.6 ± 14.5 (n = 92). 24.5% (23/94) of players reported a prior diagnosis of throwing arm injury other than a strain/sprain. Forty-nine (49/96, 51.0%) players had undergone rehabilitation for a throwing arm injury, and seven (7/96, 7.3%) had experienced a medical procedure. Players with no prior treatment (n = 41, 88.9 ± 19.0) more frequently demonstrated KJOC scores ≥ 90 than players with previous treatment (n = 55, 80.9 ± 17.1; P < .001). The 18 players with time-loss arm injury in the last year (71.3 ± 20.0) had lower mean KJOC scores than players with no injury or time loss (90.3 ± 9.8; P < .001). Similarly, players who reported current arm trouble (n = 15) had lower KJOC scores (71.6 ± 17.5) than players with healthy arms (89.5 ± 11.9; P < .001). Conclusions: CCBL players report an average KJOC score below 90, with particularly low scores in cases of prior arm injury and treatment.