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.

PITCH COUNT ALONE IS OBSOLETE IN PREVENTING ARM INJURIES IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE PITCHER

PITCH COUNT ALONE IS OBSOLETE IN PREVENTING ARM INJURIES IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE PITCHER

Thousands of kids play organized baseball through programs like Little League every year. While baseball is a great way to encourage teamwork and physical activity, it's also important to be aware of the potential for injuries. One of the most common baseball injuries is damage to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), located in the elbow. This type of injury often requires surgery, repair known as Tommy John surgery, to growth plate fractures are another type of injury that can occur in young athletes. These fractures happen when the bones grow faster than the muscles and tendons, causing stress on the growth plates. Growth plate fractures can lead to long-term problems like deformities or arthritis if not treated appropriately. By understanding the risks and taking proper precautions, parents and coaches can help reduce the risk of arm injuries in Little League baseball players.

Tommy John Surgery and Growth Plate fractures are two of the most common arm injuries in Little League baseball players. Tommy John Surgery is a procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow is substituted with a tendon from another body part. The surgery is named after Tommy John, a successful major league pitcher who was the first to have the surgery. Growth Plate fractures occur when the bones in the arm grow faster than the muscles and tendons, resulting in a stress fracture. These injuries can be severe and require extended rest periods and rehabilitation. As a result, coaches and parents must be aware of these injuries' signs and symptoms so they can be treated promptly.

Pitch count is an important factor to consider in Little League baseball. Too many pitches can lead to injuries, and PitchSmart.org reports that "Elbow and shoulder injuries are most common in baseball pitchers. These injuries often require surgery, and some may end a pitcher's career." by monitoring the number of pitches a player throws, coaches can help safeguard against these sorts of injuries. In addition, PitchSmart.org recommends that players take at least four days off between pitching appearances to give their arms time to recover. By following these guidelines, coaches can help their players stay healthy and avoid serious injury.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in young athletes suffering from arm injuries. One potential explanation for this trend is the increased focus on pitching in youth baseball. To reduce the risk of arm injuries, Major League Baseball introduced PitchSmart, a program that tracks pitch counts and mandates rest for pitchers who exceed a certain threshold. However, new research suggests that PitchSmart may not be effective in preventing injuries. Some experts believe that the program may be causing more harm than good.

One of the problems with PitchSmart is that it does not consider the type of pitches being thrown. For example, a fastball puts less stress on the arm than a curveball. As a result, a pitcher could easily exceed the pitch count limit without damaging their arm. Another issue is that PitchSmart does not factor in the age or experience of the pitcher. A teenage pitcher who has just started playing baseball is at a much higher risk of injury than a veteran who has been pitching for years. Finally, some experts believe that the program encourages young pitchers to throw harder and faster, leading to problems.

At this point, it is impossible to say definitively whether or not PitchSmart is working. However, given the evidence, it seems clear that the program has some serious flaws. Until these issues are addressed, arm injuries will likely continue to rise among young baseball players.

According to Dr. James Andrews, one of the most prominent surgeons in sports medicine, "There is no single number that will protect all pitchers from injury." However, he believes that by tracking a pitcher's pitch count, we can help to reduce the risk of arm injuries. Dr. Andrews is not alone in this belief; many other experts have also argued that pitch counts are a valuable tool for preventing injuries.

However, some argue that pitch counts are not enough. They believe we need to combine pitch counts with other tests, such as those used by physical therapists, to get a complete picture of a pitcher's health. While this may be true, it is essential to remember that coaches are often volunteer positions. This means they may not have the time or training to administer these other tests. We can ensure that more coaches can implement this critical safety measure by keeping things simple and using pitch counts.

Here are some thoughts to consider:

1. Mechanics:  Everyone has an opinion, but my experience says the longer the arm path, the more dangerous pitching is to your health. One bad throw can cause catastrophic injury.

2. Training:  The is more "specialized" training now than before. One should train for two reasons: 1. To Stay Healthy. 2. Improve Physical Performance. Indeed, this "training" is not keeping kids healthy. The exact opposite is happening. We can argue for days whether pitching performance has increased or crashed and burned

3. Human Movement:  Most adolescent pre/just post-pubescent kids can barely stand on one foot for 10 seconds, let alone move with precise neurologic precision in fundamental movements like the squat, the lunge, and basic arm path to throw a ball.

4. Strength:  Arm, Core, Posterior Kinetic Chain?

These are just a few factors a pitch count would not assess. They are significant factors that should be evaluated to keep kids healthy.

More needs to be done in terms of in-game testing. We cannot rely on the number of pitches thrown to be the only assessment.

What if there were a formula that included pitch count but also tested the above-noted metric? What if that test and procedure can be assessed after warm-ups and between each inning the pitcher throws?  

What that test, assessment, and formula would take any well-trained coach about 90 seconds to assess?

How many arms can we save from injury? Stay Tuned for MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Dr. Kevin J McGovern, PT, CSCS

drkmac@perfectmotionsportstherpay.com

www.perfectmotionsportstherapy.com

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

PROVE IT LIVE EPISODE 60

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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