Elbow OCD: A Difficult Diagnosis in Young Throwers
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a condition in which an area of the bone and cartilage around a joint does not receive a robust enough blood supply to allow microinjuries to heal. Elbow OCD is typically characterized by pain in the lateral part of the elbow, specifically in the capitellum, and the injury is especially common among baseball pitchers and gymnasts after stress from repetitive overhead and loading activities.
When a young pitcher complains of lateral elbow pain, swelling and loss of motion, I’m always suspicious of elbow OCD," says Paul Saluan, MD, Director for Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. “But even if I have my suspicions, elbow OCD is a difficult diagnosis.
Dr. Saluan says that a focus at Cleveland Clinic is to better understand how to treat elbow OCD more reliably and keep improving outcomes. This has led to research initiatives focusing on the entire injury timeline from presentation to return to play.
