“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
Baseball is known for having a slower tempo and longer duration compared to many other sports. It may be physically demanding, despite the game’s generally soft-hitting action.
Additionally, while being a relatively low-intensity sport, playing baseball requires repetitive motion, which can cause overuse injuries that can be uncomfortable at best or dangerous at worst.
The high volume pitching, as well as hitting and baserunning, are distributed among position players as well. This amounts to a lot of repetition across multiple games. Baseball is so physically demanding on the upper and lower body, despite its slower pace. Let’s look at some of the overuse injuries that affect baseball players the most frequently.
Most common Baseball injuries
1. Rotator cuff tears
- Baseball players that throw a lot of fast balls, like pitchers, frequently suffer from rotator cuff tears.
- The supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis are a quartet of muscles that work together to allow you to raise and rotate your arm. The throwing motion depends heavily on these muscles, and repeated stress can cause overuse tendinitis, impingement, or even tears if left untreated.
2. Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury
- A little ligament that offers stability during the throwing motion and is located on the inside of your elbow. Over the past few years, the infamous “Tommy John Surgery” has brought UCL injury to the public’s attention.
- One of the telltale signs that anything is wrong is inner elbow ache. The ring and pinky fingers could feel “pins and needles”-like, which could affect how an athlete grips the ball.
- Rest and physical treatment can usually solve most problems.
3. Labral tears
- Another injury that affects the shoulder is this one.
- The labrum is a flexible, rubbery tissue that aids in maintaining the tightness of the shoulder socket. Imagine a gasket that fills the void between two adjacent objects. However, as a soft tissue, it is prone to tearing.
- This kind of tear can occur in baseball due to overuse and repetitive action. Usually, this injury manifests as shoulder weakness or locking of the shoulder joint.
4. Knee injuries
- Knee injuries are an element of baseball, albeit less frequently than in higher-intensity sports like basketball and football.
- The majority of them involve base running. The rapid halting, sliding, and quick direction changes might weaken a player’s knee.
- The ligaments supporting the knee can be strained or torn, both of which hurt.
How can injuries be prevented?
- Warm up and cool down are crucial to help prevent injury.
- Try to keep your muscles as warm as possible when playing in cooler weather
- Recognize the difference between discomfort and pain, and know when to stop exercising if necessary.
- Cross-train. Mix up your exercise routine by using different abilities and muscle groups from those required for their main sport. The body is strengthened rather than overstressed by exercising a variety of muscles.
If you are experiencing shoulder fatigue and pain you can give us a call so that we can help you please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible visit our website at: https://elite-musclerecovery.com/
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