Advice from a Certified Hand Therapist: How to Help Prevent Shoulder Injuries in Young Throwing Athletes

Types of shoulder injuries commonly seen in adolescent throwing athletes (8-18 years of age) include a dislocated shoulder and rotator cuff injury. Below you will find descriptions of these common injuries, the “why” behind them, and how you can help your young athlete prevent future injury.

A shoulder dislocation occurs when the two bones of the shoulder separate/become displaced. This happens commonly in young athletes with greater amounts of flexibility. These high levels of joint flexibility, sometimes called laxity, are commonly seen in young athletes because their bodies have not yet fully developed. When the muscles, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the shoulder joint are too flexible, dislocation can occur. The rotator cuff is a collection of muscles that assist in keeping the shoulder stable and intact. These muscles surround the shoulder joint and engage during throwing motions. Rotator cuff tears commonly happen when athletes are over the recommended throws per day for their age range, throwing when increasingly fatigued, and/or throwing too many days in a row.

These injuries do not sound fun, right? Well, here are a few tips to help prevent your athlete from these types of trauma.

• Conditioning: Conditioning is a significant part of keeping your athlete strong and injury-free. Cardiovascular endurance combined with core/abdominal and body weight strengthening help support overall athlete health.
• Shoulder Health: Proper warm-up before every practice and game is essential for injury prevention. Make sure your athlete has time to appropriately prepare for throwing/pitching. Using resistance bands on non-game days to help stabilize the shoulder will help to limit too much flexibility and instability of the shoulder joint, thus making it stronger and less likely to become injured.
• Taking Breaks: Having your athlete take breaks between days of throwing allow for recovery and restoration. Without rest periods, athletes are up to 8.5x more likely to display differences in throwing arms indicative of injury. Check your local organizations as well for age appropriate pitch counts to ensure your athlete isn’t going over the recommended guidelines.