Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40620408›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of sports physical therapy2025

Return to Sport Criteria and Outcomes in Javelin Athletes Following Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction: a Systematic Review.

Stuart Wallace, Jacob Ober, Laurie Devaney

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of sports physical therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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.

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

3 authors.

Stuart Wallace
Jacob Ober
Laurie Devaney

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries are common among javelin throwers and surgical intervention is the preferred treatment method. Universally accepted javelin-specific return-to-sport (RTS) guidelines would benefit healthcare providers in returning athletes safely to the sport. Purpose: To systematically assess the current literature for RTS criteria and identify gaps and opportunities for developing javelin-specific return to throwing (RTT) and RTS recommendations. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: A Boolean search related to javelin, UCL surgery, RTS was performed using PubMed/Medline, ProQuest, PEDro, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus databases. Studies published between 2000, and May 2024 were included if they had a population of javelin athletes of any level of competition who underwent UCL reconstruction (UCLR) with a minimum follow-up of one year. Results: Four studies met inclusion criteria for this review with a total population of 34 athletes (mean age, all studies: 19.7 years) and an average follow-up period of 3.8 years for all studies. Of the 34 athletes, 82% returned to any level of play at an average of 11.2 months post-surgery, with 70.1% returning to their previous level of competition. Only one study provided a specific RTT program, which included stepwise progressions for number, effort, quality, and distance for throws and javelin weights used for each program phase. Conclusion: This review found no studies providing guidelines for RTT/RTS criteria for javelin athletes following UCLR that emphasized objective measures of rehabilitation progress and completion. Further research on post-surgical physical function and subsequent programming tailored to the demands of javelin athletes is needed to guide safe return to sport. Level of Evidence: 3a.

Indexed as

Javelinmedial collateral ligamentreturn to sportreturn to throwingthrowing athletesUCL reconstructionulnar collateral ligament

Identifiers

PMID40620408
PMCPMC12222558

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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.