How To Prevent Shoulder Injuries In Young Pitchers

Baseball is considered America’s pastime, and millions of kids play youth ball or in school-sanctioned leagues throughout the spring and summer. Unlike a lot of other sports that are predominantly stressful on your lower body, baseball tends to be quite the workout for your arm and shoulder, especially if your child is a pitcher. However, you also want to be very mindful of how your child develops their pitching arm as they get older, because shoulder injuries force countless youth pitchers out of action each year. With that in mind, we want to use today’s blog to talk about some common shoulder injuries that can develop in youth pitchers, and what you can do to prevent and treat these issues.

Common Shoulder Problems In Youth Pitchers

Pitchers put a lot of strain on their shoulder every time they perform the overhead motion of pitching, and that stress only amplifies as they get older and start throwing harder. If you combine a more forceful throwing motion with other issues that commonly affect youth pitchers - like overuse or poor pitching mechanics - and it’s easy to see how a shoulder problem can occur.

Before we dive into some of the ways to prevent and treat shoulder issues, let’s explore what types of shoulder conditions tend to be the most common in youth baseball players and pitchers:

• GIRD - GIRD stands for glenohumeral internal rotation deficit, and it occurs when the ligaments on the front of the shoulder become overstretched. This can lead to a tightening of the soft tissues in the back of the shoulder and restrict normal range of motion. Not only can this shoulder flexibility loss cause problems for the pitcher, but it can also increase their risk of tissue tearing should the athlete try to continue pitching instead of seeking treatment.
• Shoulder Impingement - Overuse and repetitive stress can also lead to inflammation in the shoulder joint. Many structures pass in close proximity to one another when performing an overhand throwing motion, and if inflammation is shrinking the available space in the area, structures can rub against one another, leading to restricted motion and localized pain.
• Tendonitis - Overuse or poor pitching mechanics can lead to inflammation and microtearing of the tendons in the shoulder. Continuing to push through discomfort can greatly increase your risk of suffering a much larger tendon tear.
• Shoulder Instability - Instability can occur following a shoulder dislocation, which tends to be more common after an athletic collision or jamming the shoulder during a slide, but they can also occur as a result of overstress and incorrect pitching form.

Preventing And Treating Youth Pitching Injuries

As you can probably guess based on some of the underlying risk factors that we discussed above, two of the best ways to prevent youth pitching injuries is by avoiding overstressing the shoulder and ensuring they have proper pitching mechanics. Let’s address each of those points in greater detail:

• Avoiding Overstress - In today’s highly (and sometimes overcompetitive) youth sports world, it’s not uncommon for some of the more advanced pitchers to throw a lot of pitches over the course of a season. Players, parents and coaches need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture instead of only focusing on the next travel tournament on the schedule. Overstraining a shoulder during youth sports is a great way to burn that athlete’s shoulder out by the time they get towards high school or college. These are times when their shoulders should be approaching their strongest, not suffering from the effects of a poorly managed summer of youth ball. I implore you to look into pitch count recommendations by age and step in if a coach is putting too many miles on your child’s shoulder. It’s also helpful to give kids a break between seasons. In some states, the weather allows for baseball to be played year round, but if your athlete never really gets time away from a sport, their shoulder may not fully recover from the physical demands of pitching. Taking a couple months off from practices and games can actually help your child return stronger for the next season.
• Proper Pitching Mechanics - You’ll also want to make sure that your pitcher has a proper pitching technique. At the youth level, oftentimes parents are coaches, and while they may try their best to teach and coach, they may not have the technical insight to really develop a pitcher’s form. You can help to prevent their pitching form from contributing to injuries by working with a qualified pitching coach. They can perfect your child’s form to limit excessive strain on the shoulder and elbow, in turn reducing their risk of injury.

Other ways to reduce your child’s risk of shoulder problems from pitching include:

• Pursuing shoulder exercises that make the area stronger and more flexible.
• Working with a physical therapist to target specific areas of the shoulder.
• Limit heavy weightlifting during the sports season.
• Don’t pitch through pain or discomfort.

And finally, make sure that you connect with a shoulder specialist if your child is dealing with a new or chronic shoulder problem. As we noted above, many conditions tend to worsen if they aren’t proactively treated, so don’t just assume they will resolve on their own.

For more tips on how you can protect your child’s shoulder, national pitch count recommendations at each age, how leg and balance affect pitching health, and for a handy reference in case you want to learn more about youth shoulder development, pick up a copy of Dr. Reznik’s latest publication, The Knee & Shoulder Handbook, available now on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. You can also reach out to Dr. Reznik directly at (203) 865-6784.

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