Although we’re still in the midst of winter, preparations are already being put in place for the new baseball season that is already round the corner. The pros are already training, but for the Little League players, thoughts and excitement of the new season ahead are also being made. While Little League is the first big stepping stone to any pro baseball player’s career, we should also be mindful of injuries. Too much too soon isn’t always good.
So we’ll be taking a look at three main types of elbow injury that Little League players seem to endure, and that is the pronated forearm, early trunk rotation and the late arm.
Pronated Forearm
One way to prevent this is for pitchers to keep their hands behind the ball, not letting it face 2nd base. This hand position will affect the stress on the elbow. The pronation normally occurs when extra stress is applied t the flexor mass on the elbow.
Early Trunk Rotation
Trunk rotation, as the name suggests is geared around the mid body and hip area. When a ball is thrown, half of the ball speed is due to this rotation and the step forward. This rotation should occur when the step has been made in one smooth operation. If this doesn’t occur, then excess stress is brought on the shoulder and elbow. If pitching incorrectly for a period of time, this can easily result in injury.
Late Arm
At the point of the step forward or stride in pitching, the pitching arm should be close to 90 degrees to ground. If it is less than this, then the medial elbow is likely to have excess stress applied to it and this be injured.
It goes without saying that all players need to listen to their coaches instruction. Not only for proper application and playing of the game, but also to ensure proper form is followed so as to avoid injury.
The good news is that if injury does occur, we at Back & Body Pain Relief are at hand. Our practice helps many athletes in a variety of different sports to heal, recover and get back to full fitness the right way.
If you are injured, give us a call (908) 325-3000 or schedule an appointment today.
