ice/heat after pitching?

[Bucket Mom]

We just got home from the sports doctor about an hour ago and had this discussion with my daughter's doctor. We told her that she has been having some minor pain in her shoulder after pitching. She advised that this is only the beginning of an overuse injury and that if she is having these problems at 10 years old she will likely be out of the game in high school. My daughter about freaked out in the office. The doctor said that no matter how bad her team wants her back in the fall that she should take a mandatory 3 months off and do nothing with her pitching arm.

Neither of us really knew what to say and as soon as the doctor left the room, my daughter went into a rant that there was no way she could stop and not pitch for 3 months.


I think there is such a pressure to compete as early as 10 that these injuries will start happening all the time and some of the best palyers will never have a shot at playing beyond high school. I know that our family will be having some serious talks about this at dinner tonight.

[yoyo]

Ice reduces/limits swelling (swelling gets in the way of bloodflow-recovery)- CONSISTANTLY do it for twenty minutes immedietly after pitching.

Heat promotes blood flow and blood flow promotes recovery/healing during activity - consistantly apply heat before use. Heat affects the blood flow best when it penetrates deeply. The best over the counter heat is Ultra Tiger Balm, the rest icy/hot,... do not penetrate deeply enough. You can also put heat on for the rest of the day after icing but it is most important before athletic usage. This goes for every strained muscle in your body. The more CONSISTANT you are with this the better chance you will have of recovery and longevity.

If you are worried about long term injuries with your shoulder, you should develop the muscles around your rotator cuff. Pitching alone does not develop those muscles. Use rubber tubing with a handle or rubber straps (you can the rubber tubing at any athletic store and you can usually get the wide rubber straps from any athletic physical therapist or Orthopedic) CONSISTANTLY with exercises that develop the muscle but that do not put more stress on the rotator cuff. (Do both arms so you do not have one arm stronger than the other.)

The band should be attached to something solid (close it in a closet door) to the opposite side of the arm you are working just above belly button height and while keeping the elbow against the body pull the gripping hand out to a 90 degrees angle from the body and slowly return it to the body. Then turn around so that the solid attachment is on the same side of the body. While keeping your elbow against your body pull the band across your body until your gripping hand hits your stomach and then release slowly.

You can also buy a Finch's Windmill (google it) to develop those muscles, but if you do, follow the instuctions properly. (Always keep the wrist inside the elbow, otherwise you may be putting stress on the shoulder.)

These are pro-active ways of protecting and developing a throwing arm. If you stay CONSISTANT with them you can give yourself a good chance of avoiding injury and having longevity. The good news is that these things can be done while watching America's Top Model or whatever the kids favorite show is.

[Cannonball]

My 2 cents:

The rotator exercises are often referred to as "Jobe Exercises." My dd has pitched since the age of 8. She has never iced her arm. I'm not opposed to it. However, we have her do some "Jobe exercies" and then she does a "flush run." A "Flush Run" is running some distance that will get her heart rate up and help her body better clear out that "junk" in those muscles that might make her sore. Again, I'm not opposed to icing.

[softball_parent]

Bucket mom, I would listen to the doctor and do what he says. The other thing that I wish someone had told me is that pitchers get overdeveloped chest muscles and if they don't work on developing the back muscles the body gets out of wack and contributes to the overuse. I would estimate that 75% of the pitchers that my daughter played travel ball with other the years have had surgery or quit because of pain. From her 16U team all 4 of the pitchers have had surgery. I hear the girls who are now in their 20s complain about their shoulders hurting when they blow dry their hair or when the weather is cold.

[yoyo]

That is generally the case for any serious ball athlete that has played for 10 or more years. It is the price you pay for being a highly competetive in most sports.