Sore Arms:  What You Need to Know

This article was reproduced, with permission, from Line Drives. Line Drives is a newsletter published by Baseball Fit, LLC that covers a variety of topics, including:

• Hitting/Bat Speed
• Pitching/Throwing Velocity
• Strength & Conditioning
• Speed Development
• Nutrition & Supplements For Ballplayers

This article covers the topic of Sore Arms and Arm Injuries.

“My son/daughter has a sore (elbow or shoulder). What’s the best way to handle this?”

With more games being played, due, at least in part, to the expansion of travel ball and fall leagues, arm problems for young ball players are becoming more prevalent. According to Dr. Glenn Fleisig of the American Sports Medicine Institute (www.ASMI.org) there are two major “thresholds” where he sees more arm problems:

• With pitchers who play for 8 months per year, or more
• With pitchers throwing 85 mph or harder

Major League Baseball starts in mid-February (pitchers), and, except for teams in the playoffs, ends by October. A total of about 6 months. A LOT of games in those months, but a lot of downtime thereafter. Are the number of games your kids are playing approaching that of these highly skilled, physically mature adults? As for throwing 85+ mph, well, of course, we want pitchers to throw this hard, and harder. At this level of velocity, however, the structures of the arm undergo greater forces and stress. If not properly cared for, problems are inevitable. There are three primary causes of arm pain/problems:

• Overuse – too many practice sessions and games, too many innings pitched. All of which adds up to insufficient recovery time.
• Improper mechanics – Overhand throwing is a bio-mechanically un-natural act, even when done with what are considered to be good mechanics. When things are not being done properly, problems increase dramatically.
• Poor conditioning – Proper strength and flexibility work can help prevent arm problems by “toughening” the ligaments, tendons, and muscles thereby making them more injury resistant. Ultimately, though, excessive and incorrect use will overwhelm even the best conditioned arm.

Click here to read more from the full issue of the Line Drives newsletter on this topic. The full issue includes additional illustrations, a discussion of pain vs. soreness and a basic recovery program. Click here to learn about Baseball Coaching eBooks from the CompuSports Media Exchange.