02/23/2026
Baseball Season is here....with that comes an increase in injuries, especially amongst pitchers. Help keep your athletes healthy with Chiropractic Care! (Read Below)
Spinal and pelvic misalignments can contribute to poor pitching mechanics, such as disrupted hip rotation timing, which in turn can lead to increased valgus stress on the elbow and a higher risk of UCL injuries (Tommy John). This stems from the lower kinetic chain in throwing: the lower body and core generate power that transfers up to the arm, and any dysfunction in the lumbopelvic-hip complex, such as positional faults in the pelvis, asymmetric hip mobility, or altered lumbar spine orientation can disrupt this sequence. For instance, limited hip range of motion or poor lumbopelvic control often forces compensatory movements, like early trunk rotation or reduced hip-shoulder separation, which places excessive torque on the elbow joint during the acceleration of the pitch. Studies have shown that deficits in hip external rotation or total arc ROM correlate with altered trunk angular velocity, increased shoulder external rotation, and decreased elbow flexion at ball release, all of which elevate valgus loads and mechanical breakdown. Werner et al. showed elbow valgus stress, the force that tears UCLs, spikes when hip rotation timing is off, not just from overuse.
Chiropractic care helps address this by focusing on restoring alignment, mobility, and strength in the spine, pelvis, and hips, potentially improving mechanics and reducing elbow stress to prevent surgery. Multimodal approaches, including spinal and extremity adjustments, soft tissue therapy, Erchonia low level laser therapy, and targeted rehabilitation exercises, have been used successfully in throwers to enhance proprioception, correct biomechanical flaws, prevent injury and facilitate return to play in an expedited manner.
