Interval Throwing Programs for Baseball Players: Methodological Assessment of the Quality and Construct of Publicly Available Programs

Overview

Journal Sports Health

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Orthopedics

Date 2024 Mar 28

PMID 38546157

Authors

Alexander M Boos

Namit Sambare

Matthew V Smith

Michael T Freehill

Eric N Bowman

Brandon J Erickson

Peter N Chalmers

Aaron Sciascia

Christopher L Camp

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Context: The quality and interprogram variability of publicly available throwing programs have not been assessed.

Objective: To (1) identify publicly available interval throwing programs, (2) describe their components and structure, and (3) evaluate their quality, variability, and completeness.

Data Sources: Google, Bing, Yahoo; keyword: "interval throwing program."

Study Selection: Baseball-specific publicly available programs.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Level Of Evidence: Level 4.

Data Extraction: Independent evaluation by 2 authors using a novel 21-item Quality Assessment Rubric (QAR).

Results: Of the 99 included programs, 54% were designed for return from injury/surgery; 42% explicitly stated no expected timeline for completion, and approximately 40% did not provide criteria to initiate the program. Program construction was highly variable. There were broad-ranging shortest (mean: 40±8 ft, range: 20-45 ft) and longest (mean: 150±33 ft, range: 90-250 ft) long toss distances, and variable maximum numbers of mound pitches thrown before returning to game play (range: 40-120, mean: 85). Only 63% of programs provided guidelines for handling setbacks, and standardized warm-ups, arm care, and concomitant training were absent in 32%, 63%, and 47% of programs, respectively. Mean QAR completion rate and QAR item response rate were low (62 ± 4% [range, 24-91%], 62 ± 24% [range, 7-99%], respectively). Finally, only 20 (20%) programs provided at least 1 peer-reviewed reference, most of which were published >10 years ago.

Conclusion: Publicly available interval throwing programs are readily available but demonstrate significant interprogram heterogeneity across multiple areas including target audience, program construction, progression, and execution. The quality and consistency of publicly available interval throwing programs is poor at this time, which may limit their utility and effectiveness for baseball players attempting to return to competition. This work identifies a multitude of deficiencies in currently available throwing programs that should be targets of future improvement efforts.

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