The increase in the number of these injuries is due to the fact that basketball is becoming more popular according to the study's co-author Dr. E. Lyle Cain, fellowship director for the American Sports Medicine Institute at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, in Birmingham, AL.
Cain said such injuries occur in the ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL. The half-inch long ligament keeps the elbow stable when a person throws something. It is common in tennis players, javelin throwers, quarterbacks and weightlifters. Cain said that since athlete's don't give their bodies a chance to rest and recover, sports specialization should discourage such overuse.
However, 83 percent of the young athletes suffering from this problem who underwent surgery are able to recover well enough to return to playing sports, Health Day news reports.
A form of reconstructive surgery, involving replacement of a damaged ligament with a ligament from another part of the arm or the leg, has allowed many athletes to continue playing.
