Pitching Should Never, Ever Hurt

When you gain a reputation for helping injured kids return to the game, people bring you a lot of interesting issues. For instance, we see Pars stress fractures in the lower back of new pitchers way, way too much. We have fixed a bunch of these. There is absolutely no excuse for a kid getting these stress fractures. It is easily prevented and easily fixed. Every one we have fixed has been the result of bad mechanics. Assessing the motion takes ten seconds to identify, and the movement takes ten minutes to correct. Sometimes we have to suggest physical therapy to address damage the poor motion created. The key is to address it immediately when the pain starts and find someone who knows what she is doing wrong. Yes, that is the hard part. If you cannot find anyone qualified to help you, talk to one of our Certified Instructors.
Of course, there are “accidents”. This week a kid learned that a line drive to the forearm had left a slight bump on the bone which irritated a tendon as it crossed. Had she pushed through it, bad problems could have occurred. As it is, she should be fine pretty quickly.
Last week four people contacted us with elbow problems. We investigated and learned that two of them slept on their side, with their throwing arm curled under the pillow. That is an easy fix with a light elbow brace, while sleeping, to prevent impingement. The third kid had incorrect overhand throwing motion. That took a couple of minutes to correct. The fourth kid needed a light chiropractic adjustment and was feeling great immediately. Yes, there can be mechanical problems, like kids who have been taught to jerk up the elbow at finish, let the elbow fly on a curve, roll the shoulder over on a drop, or bring the arm across the body at finish on a fastball. It is pretty easy to correct these and alleviate pain. The key is to find the actual cause. That’s why new students come to us every day.
A couple of weeks ago we addressed soreness in the quad with a student. People often try to pitch through this, but it can be a career-ending injury if pushed too much. And, it takes more than just rest to fix it. Stop when it hurts.
If your pitcher feels pain, address it. Over 90-percent of the time when new kids come to us with injuries, it is simple to fix, and in a very small percentage of the cases, we direct them to the right medical professional to enhance our work. Yes, on occasion it is an orthopedist, but many times it may be better to see a physical therapist. The previously mentioned quad issue is an example. Another issue; it may be swelling that needs “milking”. That is a different specialty and we send you in a different direction. Often we recognize that a wrist, elbow, back, or shoulder needs a slight chiropractic adjustment and she can be back in action immediately.
The bottom line is this. Ask questions, try various approaches. And search for the actual cause. Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories are great, but if you return to the same motions, you are likely to see the problem return. Address the issue, not the symptoms. As a footnote, every time we fix an injury, speed and movement increases substantially, as the brain gets out of “protective mode” and turns the kid loose. That is the outcome we love.

***Note: If you are a former college pitcher who would like to make a difference in the lives of kids, contact us about our Instructor Development Program.  You will be surprised at how much we have to offer.