Latissimus Dorsi and Teres Major Tears in Professional Baseball Pitchers: A Case Series

BackgroundLatissimus dorsi and teres major tendon tears are uncommon injuries. Only a few case reports exist, mainly in high-level athletes.PurposeTo describe a series of latissimus dorsi and teres major tendon tears in professional baseball pitchers.Study DesignCase series; Level of evidence, 4.MethodsInjury data from 3 Major League Baseball clubs were collected over a total of 10 seasons. Any baseball player who sustained an injury to either the latissimus dorsi or teres major identified on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was included. All injured players were treated nonoperatively with a goal of returning to full velocity throwing at 3 months from the time of injury.ResultsTen players sustained injuries to the latissimus dorsi and/or the teres major during pitching. The MRI findings documented 5 isolated latissimus dorsi tears, 4 isolated teres major tears, and 1 combined injury. All athletes returned to pitching, and all but 1 player returned to baseball at the same level of competition in the same ...