How To Prevent Throwing Injuries
Throwing Injuries – Overview
Are you a pitcher or a quarterback? As you could imagine, constantly engaging in a repeated throwing motion can potentially lead to serious fatigue in the elbow, shoulders, and back. At Flowers Physical Therapy in Rosedale, we can help you prevent throwing injuries so that you can stay at the top of your game.
Types of Throwing Injuries
Unfortunately, throwing injuries are common amongst plenty of athletes. Typically, they’re referred to as overuse injuries because they usually are not from a one-time occurrence. Overuse injuries develop slowly due to repetitive motions of a certain body part. Your elbow may be the most susceptible body part to experiencing a throwing injury. There are several common throwing injuries involving the elbow:
- Flexor Tendonitis – This pain can be severe even while just resting. It is focused on the inside of the elbow and can occur from repetitive motions.
- Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) Injury – This type of injury can occasionally be very minor. However, there also exists the threat of receiving a complete ligament tear.
- Valgus Extension Overload (VEO) – When an athlete completes a throwing motion, two parts of the arm known as the olecranon and humerus are twisted against each other. When the protected cartilage on the olecranon is worn away from this twisting motion, bone overgrowth may occur which can potentially be very painful. Athletes may experience pain and swelling at the site of the elbow. Flowers Physical Therapy in Rosedale can greatly assist with this complication.
- Olecranon Stress Fracture – When muscles become so fatigued that they can not absorb any additional shock, a stress fracture occurs. In throwers, the most common spot for a stress fracture to occur is the olecranon. It is common to experience pain even during rest for these injuries.
- Ulnar Neuritis – The ulnar nerve stretches around the elbow when it is bent. As you can imagine, a thrower is constantly bending and flexing his or her elbow. This constant motion can cause the nerve to move or even slide out of place, which can be highly uncomfortable. Throwers with this condition complain of an electric current feeling in their “funny bone” that runs down their forearm. The numbness and tingling also may occur during periods of rest.
Prevention
There are several methods to help prevent these throwing injuries. To list a few:
- Proper training and conditioning.
- Proper technique.
- Taking the right amount of recovery time.
- Follow pitching guidelines for the number of allotted throws allowed per week (especially in younger athletes).
If you’re suffering from a throwing injury, don’t let the pain get worse! Contact Flowers Physical Therapy in Rosedale and request an appointment today!