Baseball Player: Here’s What You Should Know About Protecting Your Shoulder

Baseball is an excellent sport for people of all ages. It’s an enjoyable activity for your body, whether you’re a pitcher, catcher, or infielder. However, if you’re not careful, you could have a shoulder injury that keeps you on the bench.

Alpha Orthopedics & Sports Medicine team are experts in sports medicine and shoulder injuries. If you suffer a shoulder injury during a baseball game, our team of  orthopedic surgeons has cutting-edge treatments to help you recover.

Shoulder injuries in baseball

When you play sports, injuries are bound to occur. In baseball, the most common injury is to your shoulders because of the overhead throwing motion.

While baseball is a great sport, you have to be aware of your body mechanics and your form to prevent painful shoulder injuries from occurring. If you’re not careful, you could end up with any of the following injuries:

SLAP tears

A SLAP tear happens when the top portion of your labrum is injured. SLAP stands for superior labrum anterior to posterior, which is where the labrum tears compared with your biceps tendon.

Rotator cuff injuries

Your rotator cuff is a significant component in your shoulder that allows you to throw and move your arm. However, with repetitive use, your rotator cuff becomes inflamed and irritated, leading to pain.

Tendonitis is a common overuse injury in baseball, which can quickly turn into a rotator cuff tear if you’re not careful.

Biceps tendonitis

You may experience biceps tendonitis in your throwing arm from the repetitive stress on your shoulder. You may be dealing with inflammatory biceps tendonitis if you have pain and shoulder weakness.

Instability

If baseball is something you’ve enjoyed for several years, you’re at an increased risk for shoulder instability. The repetitive throwing motion sometimes causes your humeral head to slide out of the socket, leading to chronic instability.

Shoulder instability becomes chronic when the humerus continues to slip out of the shoulder socket.

Impingement

Impingement injuries occur when your rotator cuff’s rear aspect gets stuck between your humerus and your glenoid. Impingement injuries often lead to rotator cuff and labrum tears if not treated early.

Tips to keep your shoulders healthy

Although shoulder injuries can happen at any time, we offer a few tips to keep you off the disabled list. To keep your shoulders healthy and keep you in the game, follow these expert tips:

Keep good technique

How you throw the ball is one of the best ways to prevent shoulder injuries in baseball. Make sure you’re practicing the proper technique and evaluate your body mechanics to ensure you’re not overextending your shoulder joint.

Build strength all over

It’s crucial when you play baseball to ensure your strength training includes more than your arms and shoulders. Conditioning is the key to preventing acute shoulder injuries and ensuring the rest of your body is up to par.

Listen to your body

If you have pain while playing baseball, listen to what your body tells you. Shoulder pain is usually a sign of a problem you don’t want to play through.

Take time to rest

Although it’s tempting to practice, practice, practice, you should give your body and shoulders a break. Rest is an essential component of any sport, especially baseball, where your shoulders are at risk for injury.

Stretch, stretch, stretch

Stretching is vital to every part of your body, including your shoulders. You should stretch your shoulders before and after practice or play a game to prevent strains and sprains.

If you have an injury or shoulder pain that doesn’t subside, don’t hesitate to call us at one of our three locations in McKinney, Prosper, and Sherman, Texas, to schedule a consultation. You may also request an appointment on the website.