(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Shoulder strength and control are critical to a
baseball pitcher’s ability to compete. A new study suggests that a focused
strength training program to increase a pitcher's shoulder strength during the
preseason may prevent serious injury during the season.
"The ability to identify pitchers at risk for injury could be extremely valuable
to a professional baseball organization,” Ian Byram MD, lead author and fourth
year orthopedic surgery resident at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN, is
quoted as saying. “Our study examined the predictive value of preseason strength
measurements as they relate to in-season throwing injuries."
The study measured the preseason shoulder strength of all pitchers in a
professional baseball organization over a five-year period from 2001 to 2005.
Over the course of the study, 144 baseball pitchers were analyzed using a
specific protocol by a single athletic trainer. Prone internal rotation, prone
external rotation, seated external rotation and supraspinatus strength were
tested during spring training prior to each season. The players were then
followed throughout the season for incidence of throwing-related injury.
The study demonstrated a significant association between strength and throwing
related injuries that required surgery. “The shoulder and elbow are subjected to
significant stresses during the pitching motion, placing them at risk for
injury. By demonstrating an association between shoulder weakness and throwing
related injuries, we hope that future injuries might be prevented by focusing
strength training programs on those areas that are weakest," said Byram.
SOURCE: Presentation to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM)
Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, July 10, 2009.
