Spring is almost officially here, and that means baseball season is just around the corner. If your child will be playing baseball or softball this spring, or you’ll be playing in a recreational league to stay active, you’ll want to be smart in your approach to preparing your arm and shoulder for the upcoming season. In today’s blog, we share some tips on how baseball and softball players can reduce their risk of shoulder injuries heading into the season.
Protecting Your Shoulder During Baseball
Baseball players, and softball players to a lesser extent given the inherent difference in pitching techniques, put a significant amount of strain on their shoulders and arms during every practice and game. After all, the throwing motion is essential to every player on the field. Shoulder injuries are also one of the most common reasons why ballplayers end up missing time each season, and while not all shoulder and arm injuries can be prevented, there are things you can do to reduce your risk of suffering an injury. Here’s a look at some of the ways you can work to decrease your risk of a shoulder injury this baseball season.
- Start Slow – We understand the urge to get out on the field when the snow melts and have a long toss session or to throw your first bullpen of the season, but you need to take things slow. Even if you’ve been getting your arm up to speed with open gyms or winter training sessions, you need to limit the amount of stress on your arm. It’s a long season, and if you put too much strain on your arm and shoulder early in the season, it will be fatigued when you need it most, and tired arms are at a heightened risk for injury.
- Stretch – It’s also imperative that you take 10-30 minutes to warm up before practice or a game. Go through a stretching routine that helps muscles in your upper and lower body prepare for the stress that is to come. Jumping right into activity can put you at an increased risk for muscle strains as your muscles become overloaded with stress. Make sure you stretch and do some light throwing before jumping into a practice or game routine.
- Post-Game Arm Care – If you did a lot of throwing at practice or pitched a few innings, be sure to take care of your arm and shoulder later that evening and the next day as well. Icing can help to calm local inflammation and soreness so that movement remains uncomfortable, and running or jogging for 10-15 minutes the next day can help to remove lactic acid that may have built up in your arms and shoulders as a result of strenuous muscle activity. Take care of your shoulder after you put a lot of strain on it, because the season is long.
- Resistance Training – If you want to help your shoulder and the supportive tissues around it become stronger while also limiting your chance of injury, connect with a shoulder specialist, physical therapist or team trainer for some resistance band exercises. Resistance band training is great because you control how much stress you put on the joint, meaning it’s unlikely you’ll overload it. We’ve worked with high school athletes who hurt their shoulders because they were trying to set new personal bests for bench press or shoulder press during the season. Unless you’re working with a trainer, it’s not a great idea to max lift during the season. Opt for more reps at lighter weights or get used to a resistance band routine.
- Treat Small Injuries – Finally, it is incredibly important that you work to treat small injuries when they arise so that they don’t snowball into a season ending problem. If your shoulder is sore or painful, let your coach know and exercise caution in practice or a game. Putting too much stress on your shoulder or not giving it enough time off between games or following an injury can lead to a more significant problem. It’s better to miss a couple practices or games while you tend to shoulder discomfort than to try and push through the pain only to suffer a major tendon tear.
Dr. Holloway has helped a number of baseball and softball players keep their shoulder healthy throughout the season or overcome new injuries that develop, and he’d be more than happy to help you in any way he can. If you’d like to learn more about how you can protect your shoulder this baseball season, or to take care of a lingering shoulder issue, pick up the phone and give his team a call today at (865) 410-7887.
