Shoulder Injury Prevention for the Overhead Throwing Athlete - Part One: Building the Foundation

Using the shoulder to throw a ball as far, as fast or as accurately as you can, is like owning a suped-up racecar. Just as a racecar requires a bit more maintenance than the occasional oil change, an overhead thrower demands a specially developed body that is maintained consistently in order to prevent a breakdown.

This three-part series will examine and offer some solutions to the most common areas of weakness that predispose athletes to injury associated with overhead throwing.

Besides actual throwing mechanics, the three most common areas that predispose young athletes to shoulder injury are:

PART ONE: Upper Back Strength

The shoulder joint is attached at the scapula (shoulder blade). The scapula is then attached to the body and controlled by seven different muscles. These muscles form the foundation of throwing. They control the arm during the follow-through phase of throwing. When these muscles are weak or when they do not take responsibility for slowing down the arm during follow-through, enormous stress is shifted over to the shoulder joint and the rotator cuff.

The following exercise is called a compound row. It is one of the top two or three exercises designed to build functional strength in the upper back in an overhead throwing athlete. Others would include exercises such as Lat Pulldowns or Medicine Ball Throws. This is important: EVERY ATHLETE WHO THROWS A BALL SHOULD MAKE THIS A PART OF HIS OR HER WEIGHT-TRAINING PROGRAM.

Sit in the chair of the row machine with your back as straight as possible. The pad on your chest should land right up against your sternum or breast bone. Grip the bar with a wide grip.

The seat should be adjusted enough forcing you to have to reach far enough that your shoulder blades are spread apart.

Pull back, initiating the movement by squeezing your shoulder blades down and together. Squeeze your shoulder blades completely together. Your shoulder girdle should stay level and not shrug upward.

Return slowly by allowing your shoulder blades to drift back out. Remember to exhale as you pull the bar toward you, inhale as the bar returns.

The vast majority of people perform this exercise incorrectly by not using the shoulder blades, and instead using the arms.

Also, many people will commonly lift the entire shoulder girdle upward.

You will know you are doing it correctly if you feel fatigue and muscle burning between your shoulder blades.

It is very common to feel strain, fatigue or burning up closer to the back of the shoulders (the posterior deltoid), or in the arms (biceps/triceps). In this case, you are probably not beginning and ending the movement by squeezing the shoulder blades together.

During the pre-season and offseason, this exercise should be part of a comprehensive weight-training program that includes other complex core/foundation exercises such as lat-pulldowns, shrugs, medicine ball tosses and abdominal work. The compound row should be performed at least twice a week, 3 sets to fatigue with a 2-3 minute rest in between at a weight that causes fatigue between 8 and 15 repetitions. During the season, it can be performed once per week, but not within 24 hours before a game.

Next month I will talk about the muscle stretch that is so important to injury prevention, many professional baseball teams will penalize their players for not doing it.

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