Q & A - Shoulder Injuries
It seems like everyone on a team gets a sore shoulder. Can this be from style, mechanics, over-use or trying to get speed?
Answer:
All of the above.
According to the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, in the last decade there has been a ten-fold increase in "Tommy John" surgeries in the throwing arm. (The ulnar collateral ligament is the important stabalizing ligament in the shoulder.) This means a year or more in rehab. In the rehab phase we must determine the cause of the injury and correct the mechanics, or it will occur again when playing resumes. Few pitchers recover enough to become front-line pitchers after this injury.
Cause:
Too much playing, poor mechanics, poor physical fitness or training. Conditioning methods have become a prime cause for injuries, especially at the maturing stage of a child. It's important to allow only certified physical conditioning trainers to train a young person.
The success we have had over the past 45 years, I believe, is because we listen to the student, the parents and the doctors who send their patients to us to correct poor mechanics. If your athlete has soreness or a possible injury, call us for a free evaluation. Our facility has on-site both baseball and softball training, certified conditioning trainers and certified physical therapists.
