Shoulder disorders in the overhead athlete.

Overhead athletes place enormous loads on shoulder structures during the throwing cycle. These extraordinary stresses can result in a variety of injuries. Many of these injuries can coexist and are often associated with excessive anterior shoulder laxity, sometimes referred to as instability, thereby making the diagnosis and treatment of the athlete's shoulder extremely challenging. Although elite throwers represent a small percentage of individuals with shoulder disorders, the evaluation of this subgroup can provide insight for the treatment of the general patient with a shoulder disorder.