Elbow injuries are once again in the spotlight in professional baseball, with Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios undergoing ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery, but new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that many pitchers may be able to reduce stress on their elbows without sacrificing ball speed.
Computer modeling at the University of Waterloo has shown that professional baseball pitchers can make mechanical changes to avoid common career-threatening elbow injuries without necessarily sacrificing competitive speed.
”In our simulations, we found solutions that suggest the existence of untapped efficiencies.” said Cedric Attias, who led the study and is a graduate student in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo.Our goal is not to tell pitchers to throw softer. It’s so they can throw smarter.”
The researchers built a detailed digital skeleton, including muscles, ligaments, and joints, to investigate the extreme twisting forces exerted on the UCL, the small band of tissue on the inside of the elbow that helps hold the elbow during pitching motions.
Their study, the first of its kind, revealed two key factors that place the greatest demands on the UCL: the high arm slot, or angle, and the tilt of the torso away from the throwing arm when throwing the ball.
Because pitching at professional speed requires repeated explosive movements, the UCL often fails and tears, resulting in Tommy John surgery to replace the UCL and lengthy rehabilitation before returning to the field. Some pitchers never recover enough to play at an elite level.
”This ligament is particularly vulnerable because it is small, has a poor blood supply, and is not designed for such extreme or repetitive movements.” said Attias, who was supervised by Dr. John McPhee of the Movement Research Group (MoRG) in Waterloo.
Although strain on the UCL is inevitable, research findings point to mechanical changes, particularly arm slot and torso tilt, and lower body movement, that may help pitchers reduce injury risk while throwing at high velocity.
Researchers hope that insights from the new modeling tool can be used to predict and avoid costly injuries at the elite level of the sport, and can also be used to teach children safer ways to pitch to prevent problems as they move up the ranks.
”We have established that mechanics are very important.” said Atias. He currently works as a biomechanist for Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, along with fellow Waterloo Engineering student and MoRG alumnus Dr. Keaton Inkoll.
”We showed that a pitcher who throws 93 mph with controlled upright mechanics places significantly less stress on the UCL than a pitcher who uses more extreme techniques to reach the same velocity.. ”
Attias was fascinated when simulations showed that his method of pitching, which minimizes strain on the elbow and creates minimum speed, was nearly identical to the mechanics of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Tyler Rodgers, known for his extreme submarine style.
At the other end of the spectrum, the model showed that a hypothetical player who could throw 110 miles per hour (much faster than anyone else) would likely resemble a cricket bowler with a heavily tilted trunk and a near-vertical arm angle, rather than a baseball pitcher.
sauce:
Reference magazines:
Atias, CE others. (2026). Musculoskeletal modeling and predictive simulation of baseball pitching uses forward dynamics and optimal control to improve performance and reduce injuries. Multibody system dynamics. DOI: 10.1007/s11044-026-10143-y. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11044-026-10143-y
