Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37152618›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2023

Does Prehabilitation Before Surgery Affect Return to Sport in Baseball Pitchers With Partial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears?

Kourtney Snigar, Ryan W Paul, Joshua M Spada, Usman Zareef, Anya Hall, Brandon J Erickson, Michael G Ciccotti, Stephen J Thomas

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 88% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Kourtney SnigarDepartment of Exercise Science, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Ryan W PaulDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Joshua M SpadaRowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.
Usman ZareefRutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Anya HallDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Brandon J EricksonDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Michael G CiccottiDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Stephen J ThomasDepartment of Exercise Science, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Rothman Orthopaedics · USThomas Jefferson University · USCenter for Discovery · USJohnson University · USRowan University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Purposeful rehabilitation before surgery (prehabilitation) has been researched and implemented in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament tears. However, it is unclear whether prehabilitation would affect outcomes for baseball pitchers with partial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine whether baseball pitchers with partial UCL tears who completed ≥4 weeks of prehabilitation (prehab group) have different return to play (RTP) outcomes than pitchers with 0 to 3 weeks of preoperative physical therapy (no prehab group). We hypothesized that pitchers in the prehab group would have similar RTP rates compared with pitchers in the no prehab group. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Baseball pitchers of all competitive levels who underwent primary UCL reconstruction (UCLR) or UCL repair between 2010 and 2019 were included. Physician chart notes, magnetic resonance images, and operative notes were screened to confirm primary UCLR or UCL repair of a partial UCL tear and to identify whether the nonoperative treatment had been attempted. Patients were contacted via RedCap for postoperative complications, reoperations, RTP, and patient-reported outcomes (Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic score, Andrews-Timmerman score, Conway-Jobe score, and satisfaction). Results: Overall, 105 baseball pitchers (n = 55 prehab group; n = 50 no prehab group) were included and evaluated at 3.4 ± 2.5 years postoperatively. Six pitchers underwent UCL repair, and 99 pitchers underwent UCLR. All demographic characteristics were similar between groups except the prehab group received a gracilis graft more frequently (76.5% vs 51.2%; Conclusion: Postoperative and patient-reported outcomes did not differ significantly between pitchers with partial UCL tears who performed rehabilitation before UCL surgery and pitchers who did not attempt a significant period of rehabilitation before UCL surgery. Clinicians should feel comfortable recommending rehabilitation for patients with partial UCL tears who wish to attempt a period of nonoperative treatment, as postoperative outcomes are not affected if UCL surgery is later needed.

Indexed as

baseballoverheadpitcherrehabilitationUCLulnar collateral ligament

Identifiers

PMID37152618
PMCPMC10155012
OpenAlexW4367297293

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.