Treating Common Shoulder Injuries for Baseball Players

Treating Shoulder Injuries for Baseball Players

HOI Sports Medicine Surgeon Dr. Taylor Dunphy shares about how to treat common shoulder injuries for baseball players and when you need to seek care with an orthopedic surgeon.

Q: How can you tell if you have a problem in your shoulder?

A: Pitchers have a lot of external rotation (backwards), but when you see a loss of the internal (forward, away from your body) rotation, then it could be a sign of a bigger problem.

Q: What are some stretches you can do to help your throwing arm?

A: One stretch is the sleeper stretch, where you are on your side and you’re trying to get your shoulder to rotate in more to help stretch out the posterior capsule. This puts less pressure on the labrum and rotator cuff. Another good stretch is a cross-body stretch where you try to stretch your arm across your body to stretch out that posterior capsule again. This should help lossen your shoulder and improve your mechanics.

Q. When should I see an orthopedic surgeon?

A. It’s always important for athletes to speak with their coaches and athletic trainers, who can help identify any issues. For acute injuries, meaning you throw one pitch and I can’t feel my arm any more or have a dramatic loss of function, then you need to seek care with an orthopedic specialist immediately.

For increasing soreness, you may want to reduce your pitch count to see if that helps resolve the issue, and an anti-inflammatory can help as well. If pain persists for more than two weeks, then I highly recommend getting a referral and seeking care with a specialized sports medicine surgeon.