Protecting Your Throwing Shoulder from Injury

Throwing a ball may seem like a simple process, but there is a lot that goes into the fastest physical motion your body can make. And as a result, there’s also a lot that can go wrong.

When done properly, the throwing motion starts with your feet, where you gather energy from the ground before transmitting it through your legs, torso, shoulder and elbow, then unleashing it through your fingertips – propelling the ball toward its target.

Taking care of your entire body – not just your arm – is critical to preventing throwing injuries that could sideline you or your child for extended lengths of time.

Recognizing Risk Factors

Understanding the mechanics of the throwing motion is important to reducing risk for you or your child. No one throws hard because of a strong upper body. Instead, throwing relies on strength in the legs and core. That’s how Major League Baseball pitchers generate enough velocity to reach 100 mph with their pitches.

While the lower body is generating the energy needed to hurl a ball, the upper body needs to control and guide that energy as it flows through the ball. In a sense, your arm is just along for the ride. Let’s look at some factors that create problems.

• Shoulder mobility: For your arm to do its job, you need as much flexibility and mobility as possible in your shoulder. There are stretches that can help. But this can be particularly challenging for adolescents whose bodies are growing rapidly. Bones generally grow faster than soft tissue (ligaments and muscles), which can lead to a stiff shoulder joint at times.
• Overuse and fatigue: If you throw too much and don’t give your shoulder time to recover, it can create scar tissue and stiffness. This is one of the reasons we have pitch counts in youth baseball.
• Too much muscle: Muscle may make you stronger, but it also works against flexibility, when you focus too much on your arms and shoulder.

Beware These Warning Signs

Your body will often send out early warning signs ahead of any major throwing injury. This can vary, based on which part of the body is experiencing trouble, but it’s rare that an injury occurs out of nowhere. Here are some of the issues to watch:

• Pain: If your body hurts when throwing, that’s a major red flag. This can be a challenge in a culture that often lives by the “no pain, no gain” mantra. But if you or your child experience pain during the throwing motion, it’s time to talk to a medical professional to determine what is wrong.
• Decreased velocity: This could be a sign of damage to one of the ligaments in your elbow. Your body may be subconsciously altering your mechanics to avoid pain.
• Decreased control: If your child’s throws are losing their accuracy – you may notice an increase in wild pitches, for example – this could also be a sign of ligament damage.
• Unexplained fatigue: One of the impacts of overuse is that your body has difficulty recovering between throwing sessions.
• Weightlifting in season: During the competitive season, the coach should not be asking your child, who is a pitcher, to do heavy lifting. This is recipe for disaster. Instead, any strength training should focus on low-weight, high-repetition exercises for muscle toning. Save the heavier weights for the off-season, when your child’s body has time to recover.

Keeping Your Child’s Arm Safe

Keep in mind that arm mobility is critical. The best exercise for this is the sleeper stretch, which helps with shoulder pain and tight shoulders. To do the exercise:

Start by lying on your side on a flat surface, with the side you are stretching on the ground. Then bring your elbow out from your shoulder and bend your arm in an “L” position with your fingers pointing to the sky. Then use your other arm to gently push your extended forearm toward the ground. Press as far as you can without pain and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat three to five times.

If your child is a pitcher, a good pitching coach is also important. A coach will work on proper mechanics, which can go a long way toward reducing injury risk.

Also encourage your child not to specialize too soon. Instead of focusing on pitching year-round, try different positions and different sports to avoid problems that come with overuse. This can be challenging in a state like Florida, where the climate allows for year-round leagues. Remember that a little rest can do wonders for the body’s ability to heal itself.

This content is not AI generated.