Incorporate balance work into your regular warm-ups to set a better foundation.
If you are already pressed for time with a demanding schedule, you’ll have to multi-task. The power then transfers up and through the thoracic spine, shoulder, and arm, which are not designed to handle the stress. With this flaw, the lower half of the body (with the larger, stronger muscles) commits before the motion is finished and leaks all the power it could produce. Essentially, a lack of overall balance typically brings the lower half of your body through the motion first instead of together with the upper half of the body. If your body isn’t balanced throughout the throwing motion (both overhand or underhand), you place the power part of the motion on smaller muscles that are not designed to take the force. Ideally, you should start with your balance. Compensations are so common to avoid experiencing pain in the joint, but they always result in pain elsewhere – the elbow, the bicep, the scapula, the neck, the back. If you are planning on playing a fall season, you need to absolutely take care of your throwing shoulder.
Shoulder tightness is a common by-product of all the throwing in the field and pitching in practice, warm-ups, and games. If you are experiencing shoulder pain, or any muscle or joint injury, contact us today to schedule an appointment in one of our 6 locations in Long Island, Manhattan and the Bronx.Baseball and softball travel summer seasons are starting to come towards the final countdowns and the innings have taken a toll on an overhead athlete’s body. Ruotolo and the team at Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine are experts in treating athletes of all levels using a range of options from Physical Therapy to Arthroscopic Surgery. He has published several clinical papers on shoulder injuries in overhand athletes, including “ Loss of Total Arc of Motion in Collegiate Baseball Players ” and “ Shoulder Pain and the Overhand Athlete“. Charles Ruotolo is a renowned shoulder expert and the President of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Long Island. Surgical treatment may be needed depending on the MRI findings and especially in patients who have failed conservative therapy.ĭr. Many of these problems are not well seen with a conventional MRI. This is a test where the shoulder joint is injected with dye prior to an MRI to better elucidate the injury. Both of these injuries may only be well seen with an MR arthrogram. The two most common significant injuries in overhand athletes are tears in the superior aspect of the labrum and partial tears of the rotator cuff. Patients who don’t improve from therapy may consider further diagnostic testing specific for injuries in the overhand athlete shoulder. Not all therapy is the same, and undirected care typically is no better than rest. It is important to identify specific biomechanical problems associated with injuries in overhand throwing so therapy can be directed to correct these problems. Patients who are bothered by sudden or intermittent painful episodes after throwing a ball may recover after a conventional treatment plan based on rest, physical therapy and exercises designed specifically for overhand athletes. These symptoms can include aching pain that often goes down one’s upper arm, a sudden sharp pain during throwing that leads to a “dead arm” feeling, clicking or catching in the shoulder, and a loss of velocity and performance. Shoulder problems may be associated with a plethora of symptoms but all symptoms should be evaluated by an orthopedic specialist. Problems in these areas can compound shoulder disorders. To add to the complexity of the problem, 50-60% of the strength generated from throwing comes from the core and lower extremities. Because the phases of throwing occur so rapidly, it may be difficult for athletes to determine which phase of this chain is broken and thus causes pain. When this balance is improper, damage to the ligaments, muscles and joints of the shoulder is common. However, there must be a balance between the laxity of the shoulder joint needed to achieve the first two phases and stability to execute the second two phases. Because the shoulder is a mobile joint, different forces, velocity and stress can be generated during each phase. The motion of throwing comprises four different phases: (1) wind up, (2) cocking, (3) acceleration, and (4) deceleration.
#Softball underhand throw shoulder blades professional
Whether you are a professional athlete or just playing catch with your kids in the backyard, pain or discomfort when throwing can be linked to abnormal shoulder function. Overhand throwing motions trigger high torque and also fuel powerful acceleration forces that can cause significant stress on the shoulder joint.