Elbow injuries in the pediatric athlete

Chronic repetitive stress to the developing osteoligamentous structures of the elbow places the pediatric athlete at risk for a number of sports-related elbow injuries. The specific type of injury encountered is dependent on the sport as well as the developmental stage of the physes and apophyses. The most common pathologies encountered are medial sided injuries due to valgus overload, olecranon apophysitis and stress fractures, and osteochondral injuries of the capitellum. As youth sports participation continues to increase, so too does the incidence of pediatric elbow injuries. This review will focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common elbow pathologies in young athletes.