Unveiling the Hidden Culprit: Poor Training Causing Arm Injuries in Pitchers

Unveiling the Hidden Culprit: Poor Training Causing Arm Injuries in Pitchers

Meta Description: Discover the detrimental impact of poor strength and conditioning training on the rise of arm injuries in pitchers, and learn effective prevention strategies.

Introduction: In baseball, the prevalence of arm injuries among pitchers has reached unprecedented levels in recent years. As an expert physical therapist and pitching coach, this concerning trend can be attributed to one major factor: poor strength and conditioning training. The relentless pursuit of velocity, the desire to throw faster than ever, has led to the development of bigger and stronger athletes. However, their throwing mechanics often contribute to detrimental arm injuries. In this blog post, we will delve into the impact of poor training on the rise of arm injuries in pitchers and explore practical strategies for injury prevention.

1. The Rise of Arm Injuries in Pitchers: Over the past two decades, the incidence of arm injuries among pitchers has skyrocketed. This alarming surge has raised questions about the factors contributing to this epidemic. One significant factor is the quest for velocity, driven by the belief that throwing faster equates to success on the mound. This obsession has led to aggressive training methods without emphasizing overall strength and conditioning.

2. The Impact of Poor Strength and Conditioning Training: Poor strength and conditioning training is pivotal in increasing arm injuries among pitchers. Focusing on building strength and power without paying attention to balanced muscle development, flexibility, and functional movement patterns puts excessive stress on the shoulder and elbow joints. This imbalance can lead to overuse injuries, ligament tears, and other chronic conditions that hinder a pitcher's performance and longevity in the game.

3. Throwing Mechanics and Injury Risk: While strength and conditioning are crucial, flawed throwing mechanics are another critical aspect contributing to arm injuries in pitchers. Many pitchers prioritize sheer velocity over proper technique, putting excessive strain on their arms. Improper arm positioning, lack of trunk rotation, and inadequate follow-through can place undue stress on the shoulder and elbow, making pitchers more prone to injury. Correcting and refining throwing mechanics is essential for mitigating the risk of arm injuries.

4. Finding the Balance: Velocity vs. Arm Health: It is crucial to strike a balance between velocity and arm health. While throwing faster can give pitchers a competitive edge, it should not come at the expense of their long-term well-being. Coaches, trainers, and pitchers must understand that a sustainable career requires a holistic approach that encompasses not only velocity but also arm health, durability, and longevity.

5. Effective Training Strategies for Injury Prevention: To prevent arm injuries and promote overall performance, pitchers should focus on comprehensive training strategies. These include:

• Incorporating a balanced strength and conditioning program that targets all muscle groups involved in pitching.
• Emphasizing flexibility exercises and proper warm-up routines to enhance joint mobility and reduce the risk of injury.
• Implementing proper mechanics and techniques through regular analysis and coaching sessions.
• Gradually increasing throwing intensity and volume while allowing for adequate rest and recovery.
• Prioritizing cross-training activities to enhance overall athleticism and reduce repetitive stress on the throwing arm.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the incredible rise in arm injuries among pitchers over the last 20 years can be attributed mainly to poor strength and conditioning training. The relentless pursuit of velocity has resulted in more extensive and robust athletes, but their throwing mechanics often lead to devastating arm injuries. By prioritizing a comprehensive approach that combines proper training techniques, balanced strength, conditioning, and refined throwing mechanics, pitchers can reduce the risk of injuries and enjoy sustainable success on the mound. It is high time we address the detrimental impact of poor training and prioritize the long-term well-being of our pitchers.

JOINT PAIN IN THE COLD

Joint Pain in the Cold: Three Theories Behind Winter Joint Pain

February 28, 2022

Is Cold Weather Affecting your Sensitivity to Pain? Is the Cold Weather Causing Muscle Spasms? Is the Cold Weather Causing the Tissues Inside the Joints to Expand?

It’s that time of the year when the temperature begins to drop. If you’re an active person you know that this is also the time nagging aches and pains resurface. You’ll feel these unpleasant and sometimes unbearable sensations around your joints.

If you’re familiar with cold-weather joint pain, you’re not alone!

According to the (CDC), about 23% of Americans have arthritis. This means around 58 million people stock up on knee wraps and Tylenol for the winter.

We can always blame the weather, but what is it about the cold that causes joint pain to flare up?

According to WebMD, cold weather creates the dreaded pain and stiffness around your joints by:

Cold Weather and Pain Sensitivity

The nervous system — particularly the nerve endings — is essential to the perception of sensations. The nerve endings are responsible for taking sensations like temperature and pain felt on the skin and transporting them through the body as electrical signals. These electrical signals make their way to the brain where they are either processed as pain or pleasure.

As the temperature drops, the cold stimulates the nerve endings. Because the sensation is of the air and not pressure, a different signal goes to the brain. In a 2020 study, cold — particularly extreme cold — has been shown to elicit a sensation that is identical to pain.

By default, the cold is not the cause of actual pain. However, the study above suggests that you’ll perceive cold temperatures as pain when the cold becomes “too cold.”

Cold Weather Joint Pain as a Result of Muscle Spasms

Other than increasing your pain sensitivity, the cold also affects your muscles. Muscle spasms occur more frequently during the colder times of the year.

One of the ways your body tries to maintain its temperature is by muscle contraction. In other words, when the temperature drops, your muscles will be activated – this is why you shiver!

For some people, shivering hardly leads to pain. However, for anyone suffering from arthritis, spinal cord injury, and other neuromotor issues, prolonged shivering causes spasms.

When the muscles spasm or “freeze up,” the pain can be unbearable, often resembling a cramp. During muscle spasms, the joints that spastic muscles surround can be painful and stiff.

Stiffness is common on the nearby muscles of small joints like the fingers and toes. Muscle spasms in the quadriceps from the cold also lead to stiffness and pain in weight-bearing joints. Examples of weight-bearing joints are the knees, ankles, and hips.

Tissue Expansion and Joint Pain in the Cold

Lastly, another theory that accounts for the pain you feel in your joints during the winter involves tissue expansion. According to the University of Chicago Medical Center, cold temperatures have a way of affecting air pressure. This is important because of how tissues inside your joints respond to changes in pressure.

Decreases in air pressure can cause the tissues inside the joints to expand. The expansion is also partly due to the increase in fluid.

Both reactions are meant to keep the joints mobile during cold weather. The problem is that the expansion of tissues can lead to pain for arthritis patients.

As the joints expand, they press on the pain receptors close to the skin. The pressure on the pain receptors causes pain in the area where the joint is. Most of the time, the pain radiates or spreads to nearby areas, making simple tasks like walking or gripping problematic.

Can Anything Be Done about Winter Joint Pain?

Yes! Here are some simple tips to manage your flare-ups:

Rest

If there is no need to exert yourself, why bother? Sometimes resting the affected limb or joint is enough to cause relief.

Warmth and Compression

During the cold months, it’s important to stay warm. Not only should you be dressing in warm layers, but sometimes compressive clothing can be helpful as well. Compression will be helpful on the weight-bearing joints (areas like ankles and knees)

When Allowed, Consider Over-the-counter Pain Medications

There are many medications you can take to alleviate joint pain. Most of the time, these medications are NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications). These medications were formulated to stop pain by decreasing inflammation.

Speak to a physician before you purchase pain medications.

Manage Winter Joint Pain with Physical Therapy

The cold weather can cause your joints to hurt unbearably. If the tips above do little to help, there is another solution.

Physical therapy can help alleviate pain, whatever the cause. With therapy, your joints can regain their health and natural range of motion.

Contact us now and give winter joint pain to the cold shoulder.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html#:~:text=About%201%20in%204%20US,people%20have%20doctor%2Ddiagnosed%20arthritis.https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/weather-and-joint-pain

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7025288/
https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/prevention-and-screening-articles/its-cold-outside-do-your-joints-hurt

Corrective Exercise Makes Huge Gains with Scoliosis

Corrective Exercise Makes Huge Gains with Scoliosis 

When I look to correct any injury, no matter what it is, I first look at restoring or correcting the neurological sequence of movement. 

Every person from an Olympic Athlete to the weekend warrior has a neurological or sometimes known as a kinematic sequence in common. That sequence of movement is just like a math equation or formula: A + B + C + D = ABCD. If just one of those movements or parts of the equation ar off or incorrect, the entire movement is wrong and will lead to injury. 

When we look at scoliosis, the same formula applies. We have to address the movement dysfunction first, before anything else. 

In my 27 years of practice, I have found that scoliosis responds very well to corrective and foundational exercise. The curveball with scoliosis is that the rehab time to see good results takes much, much longer. You have to be very patient. The exercises will work when done consistently and correctly. 

Here is a story of a father of a young baseball player with scoliosis that found success with Perfect Motion Sports Therapy corrective exercise interventions: 

I met Dr. McGovern because I liked a lot of the content he provided on Twitter. Unbeknownst to my wife and when we took our 9-year-old son for a regular check-up and they said he had mild scoliosis. He had an 11 degree C Curve and his right shoulder blade was significantly lower than his left. The pediatrician told us to wait 6 months and come back in for an x-ray at that time. There was no chance I was going to wait another 6 months so I contacted Dr. McGovern. We live in Cleveland so we did everything via zoom sessions and did the exercises he provided religiously. We went 10 weeks and saw major improvements. We then went another 10 weeks and at our last check-up with the pediatrician, our son’s scoliosis went down to a 5 degree C Curve. In 6 months we reversed the curve 6 degrees. I can’t say enough about the help that Dr. McGovern has given us. Whatever issue you may have please contact him. He does an amazing job. Truly grateful to have the ability to work with him. Don’t hesitate. Reach out and he will help you. 

 If you have any questions about how I can help you simply, CLICK HERE.

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How To Cope With Pain While Sitting

Sitting too long can cause pain in your legs and other parts of your body. It's not just because you're sitting up straight or have tight muscles, either. Sitting causes blood flow restriction, which leads to swelling around nerve endings, so they get irritated faster than usual, and this is what gives people "sitting disease." You don’t need to suffer through any more aches-and pains at work by taking some quick action today. 

Work on Your Posture

Sitting up straight can be uncomfortable, so you might want to try a lumbar support cushion or wedge, which will help your back stay upright and take the pressure off. If possible, also make sure that your chair has an adjustable height for better comfort.

If you have pelvic pain, find the right cushion, you may have to try different kinds until you find one that works for you. The right cushion will help you sit up straight and keep your posture in a comfortable position.

Move Positions Every 30 Minutes

This is a great way to keep your muscles loose, and it's also a good way to avoid getting blood clots. When you're at work, try to get up and move around every 30 minutes or so. If that's not possible, then make sure you do some stretches at your desk.

Additionally, you can try to move your chair closer to or farther away from your desk, and you can also try changing the chair's height. You should also alternate between sitting and standing every once in a while.

Keep Warm

If you're feeling cold, it can aggravate the pain in your legs. When it's cold out, there is nothing worse than trying to concentrate on your work when your legs and feet are cold. Make sure to dress warmly when you're going to be sitting for a long time. You might also want to try a heating pad on your lower back or feet.

Keeping your muscles and legs warm is another important way to cope with pain while sitting. You can take a hot shower or bath before you start your day and apply some lotion afterward.

Stretch Regularly

Stretching is one of the best things that you can do to help with your pain. It's a good way to loosen up your muscles, and it feels great too! There are lots of different stretches that you can do at your desk or even in bed before you go to sleep.

If you're looking for some easy stretches to help with your pain, perform these three exercises:

1. Cat/cow: You can do this stretch in your chair or on the floor. Start by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. As you inhale, lift your head, shoulders, and chest while looking at the ceiling (cat pose), then exhale as you round over to look forward towards your belly button (cow pose). Repeat for about 30 seconds.

2. Piriformis stretch: If you have pain in the front of your hips or buttocks, then this stretch will help a lot. Start by sitting on the floor with legs outstretched and knees bent. Put one hand behind your right knee, grab onto your toes (or hold up against a wall if that's easier) while pulling gently to extend the leg straight out. You should feel the stretch in your right buttock. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.

3. Hip flexor stretch: This stretch can be done standing or seated. Start by standing with one foot elevated on a stool (or something similar), and the other leg bent in front of you to parallel your thigh to the ground. Lean forward from your hips until you feel a stretch in the front of your raised thigh, then hold for 30 seconds before switching legs.

Take Breaks

Even if you can't get up and move around, you should still take breaks from your computer. Get up and walk around the office, or drink a glass of water. It will help keep your circulation going and prevent any pain from building up.

Make sure you take breaks away from your computer, too. Don't get up and sit back down unless it's necessary. It will keep the muscles in your legs loose so that when you're sitting for a long time again, you'll be more comfortable.

Conclusion

You can help yourself cope with pain by working on your posture, moving positions every 30 minutes, keeping warm, and stretching regularly. Doing these things will decrease the amount of discomfort you feel and increase how long you can sit before needing a break.

If this sounds like something that may be helpful for you or someone in your life who suffers from this pain during sitting periods, give us a call today at [978-651-1812]. We're happy to answer any questions and provide more information about our services.

For more information on coping with the pain of sitting down, please visit our website at [www.perfectmotionsportstherapy.com].