Throwing Injuries
Do you or a loved one participate in a sport that requires repetitive throwing and swinging motions? In sports such as these, it is common to experience injuries to the upper extremities. Throwing is such injuries are common in athletes, and they can affect the hand, arm, elbow, or shoulder. Fortunately, at Iberia Sports & Rehabilitation, we can provide you with the information needed to obtain efficient throwing mechanics in order to lower the risk of sustaining an upper extremity injury.
Common upper extremity injuries
Upper extremity injuries typically fall under one of two categories: acute or overuse. Acute injuries are caused by a single specific incident, such as a strain, sprain or tear. Overuse injuries are caused by inefficient repetitive movements over time.
Some of the most common types of upper extremity injuries include:
- Ulnar collateral Ligament (UCL). This ligament will also be referred to as the “Tommy John” ligament. This ligament runs on the inner side of the elbow to help support it when performing certain motions, such as throwing. When this ligament is torn or damaged, it can lead to pain, elbow instability and loss of function. A UCL tear occurs with overuse or wear and tear on the ligaments in the elbow and is most commonly associated with baseball pitchers and other athletes who perform frequent overarm movement. UCL injuries can range from complete tears to less severe damage such as inflammation.
- Scapular Dyskinesis. This will also be referred to as scapular dysfunction. Refers to the abnormal mobility or function of the scapula (shoulder blade). This will often be a slight abnormality and typically is not a primary complaint of the overhead athlete. Most often is one of the underlying causes of the pain or discomfort of the throwing shoulder. The muscles that attach to the shoulder blade are responsible for the dynamic movement of the scapula, and any inefficient movement can lead to damage of the rotator cuff, biceps tendon and shoulder labrum and cartilage.
- Tennis elbow. While this term is colloquially referred to as “tennis elbow,” it can also be caused by other sports and activities, including softball, baseball, raking leaves, and even excessive typing on a computer. Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that results in inflammation of the tendons in the forearm, making it difficult to lift your arm.
- Little Leaguer’s Elbow. This is another colloquial term, used to describe an overuse injury causing muscle inflammation inside the elbow. This injury runs from the bony point of your elbow and can stretch down your forearm, making it difficult to extend or lift your arm. Sports and activities that generally result in golfer’s elbow include golf, baseball, softball, bowling, and gardening.
- Flexor tendonitis. This is an overuse injury that causes swelling in the tendons that control your hand movement, making it difficult to bend your fingers and move your hand or elbow. Flexor tendonitis is typically associated with sports that require constant throwing, such as softball, baseball, football, or shot put.
- Little League Shoulder. Is another overuse injury caused by stress to the arm bone (humerus) nearest to the shoulder. This stress causes widening of the growth plate, resulting in swelling and pain at the shoulder. It most commonly occurs in youth overhand pitchers between the ages of 11 and 16.
Proper throwing mechanics
At Iberia Sports and Rehabilitation, we are happy to provide the communities we serve with industry leading movement assessment technology. Using Sparta Science, the Gold Standard for force plate machine learning™ and Fusionetics, the most dynamic and effective movement-based performance system allows our highly trained therapist to provide our athletes with personalized movement screening and sports performance enhancement programs right to the palm of their hand on their mobile device.
These programs will teach the patient how to gain the correct movement patterns their body needs to execute safe and efficient movements required for his/her sport(s).
Another important part of injury prevention is understanding proper warmup drills. We will also teach these to the patient, which they will be able to use before each game. While throwing mechanics obviously focus heavily on the arms, we will also provide warmups focusing on the trunk and legs, as these are also important parts of the body involved in the throwing process.
Get started with our Throwing Program today!
If you or a loved one participates in a sport that requires constant throwing or swinging, our New Iberia physical therapists can provide assistance for injury prevention. Request an appointment with Iberia Sports & Rehabilitation today!
