The shoulder joint is the most important to an overhead athlete. This is mostly evident in throwing sports such as baseball, cricket, water polo where injuries to the shoulder joint are most prevalent. These sports demand high-speed, repetitive movements that place immense stress on the shoulder’s anatomical structures, leading to a higher risk of injuries.
Understanding why shoulder injuries occur in overhead athletes and the strategies for prevention and rehabilitation is crucial for maintaining peak performance and ensuring a long sporting career.
Why do shoulder injuries occur in the overhead athlete?
Throwing utilises the whole body to perform the specific activity. It requires increased rotational movement at the shoulder along with coordinated and synchronised neuromuscular control. The throwing motion that is used in overhead sports and competitions places an increased amount of load on the active and passive structures that are designed to keep the shoulder stable and strong.
Anatomical structures (ligaments, muscles, and connective tissues) that are designed to keep the shoulder complex secure and stable are placed on significant stress when athletes throw repeatedly aiming for high-speed efforts. These efforts lead to:
- Repetitive trauma to the shoulder complex.
- Throwing under fatigue
- Increased stress on the secondary joints such as the elbow.
- Overuse and increased amount of throwing on the shoulder joint.
Overuse, improper technique, and inadequate rest can lead to a breakdown of the supportive structures around the shoulder. When one supportive structure fails (i.e a muscular strain/tear) there is an increased load on supporting structures that can result in further injury. This domino effect can exacerbate the risk of further injury, highlighting the importance of preventive measures and fast intervention.
Recognising Signs of Shoulder Pain
Athletes and coaches must be vigilant in spotting early signs of shoulder discomfort to avert more serious injuries.
These warning signs, if ignored, could lead to severe conditions necessitating lengthy recovery times away from sport. It is important to recognise the signs of throwing pain. These can include:
- Pain during the throwing cycle.
- Feel weakness in the throwing cycle.
- Cannot throw as hard and fast as once could.
- The arm can feel different and can act as a dead feeling.
It’s essential for athletes to pay attention to these indicators and seek professional advice immediately. Early intervention by specialists can prevent minor issues from becoming major, ensuring athletes remain competitive and reducing the risk of long-term damage.
Common Shoulder Injuries In Throwing Sports
Throwers taking part in overhead sports are a little more susceptible to a range of shoulder injuries than others due to the intense and repetitive nature of their activities. These injuries often come from the high demands placed on the shoulder’s musculoskeletal system during the cycle of throwing.
The most common afflictions include:
- Irritation to the muscular system that is involved in the throwing cycle.
- Strains and tears to the posterior shoulder muscles.
- Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit. This results in a reduced internal rotation range of motion.
- Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior tear (SLAP tear)
- Internal impingement
- Irritation to the bicep’s tendon.
Understanding these injuries and their implications is important for effective prevention and management, ensuring athletes can continue to compete at their best.
Why It Is Important To Prevent Injuries
Injury prevention in overhead sports is critical for several key reasons:
- To minimise the number of games and training sessions missed due to injury.
- To be able to continue to improve throwing performance.
- To be able to continue in participation in throwing activities and sport.
- Protection of shoulder joint.
- Most important to achieve pain free throwing!
The goal of injury prevention is to protect athletes from the setbacks that can derail their careers and diminish their enjoyment of the sport. By focusing on maintaining physical health, especially of the shoulder joint, athletes can enjoy a more productive, long-lasting, and fulfilling sporting journey.
How Can Throwing Athletes Reduce The Risk Of Shoulder Injury?
The evidence shows that a muscular strong with sufficient shoulder mobility reduces the risk of shoulder injury to the throwing athlete. This is achieved by performing specific shoulder strengthening exercises and range of motion exercises that either increase or maintains shoulder mobility.
Performing shoulder specific warm up exercises has been found effective in the reduction of shoulder injuries and pain with throwing. The exercises selected need to be focusing on developing and maintaining shoulder muscular strength and joint mobility. Some examples are:
- Trunk rotation in standing, 4-point kneeling or sideling.
- Overhead shoulder extension with resistance.
- Shoulder external rotation with resistance (weight or band).
- Shoulder stretches focusing on internal and external rotation.
It is recommended to pre-throwing exercises three times a week to develop enough stimulus to create muscular adaption to handle the stress and forces of throwing on the anatomical structures.
Book a Consult with Coast Sport to address any shoulder concerns or to enhance your performance through injury prevention strategies tailored to your specific needs. Our team of experts specialises in diagnosing and managing shoulder injuries, employing evidence-based approaches to get you back in the game.
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