Are certain static stretches harmful to a pitchers shoulder?

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Jun 18, 2010
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DD has been going to speed and agility training for several weeks. The instructors there also provide rehab and therapy for sports related injuries. They said that certain static stretches can do more harm for the shoulder than good and they prefer dynamic stretches.

They said this static stretch specifically is not good for a pitchers shoulder:

shoulder-posterior_zps5c20ba43.gif



They said to replace most of the static shoulder stretches with dynamic variations of arm circles:

small forward arm circles
small backward arm circles
large forward arm circles
large backward arm circles
vary hand positions during the arm circles, finger tips up, finger tips down.

Has anyone else been advised against this type or other types of static stretches?
 
Jul 1, 2010
171
16
I'm curious, did they say why? The reason I ask is that DD does this very stretch prior to pitching or throwing. No one taught her to do this, it is just the way she feels will best stretch out her shoulders.
Thanks
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
When my dd had growth plate issues in her pitching shoulder. We did alot of static stretches, where the right fingers touch the left side shoulder blade from both, elbow up and elbow pointed down. Then he suggested that she stand in a doorway and with her hand in a hitchhikers position try to pull the arm back as far as poss. with the forearm against the jamb of the opening. These were suggested to us by a sports medicine orthopedic dr.
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
I'm curious, did they say why? The reason I ask is that DD does this very stretch prior to pitching or throwing. No one taught her to do this, it is just the way she feels will best stretch out her shoulders.
Thanks

We (meaning I drive, DD exercises), have the training on Monday, I'll ask them to be specific as to why they don't like this (and other) static stretches.

Edit: DD did this stretch a lot too.... prior to their suggestion to replace it with the dynamic arm circles.
 
Apr 25, 2010
772
0
I believe it is becoming more and more accepted that static stretching is kind of like "slam the door/hello elbow". It's what was thought was best at one time, but time and research are proving that maybe it wasn't so good. I know our girls don't do any static stretching. It's all dynamic. As far as DD's pitching warm up/cool down. There is zero stretching involved. As long as you are warming up and getting blood moving through the area, stretching becomes overkill and a potential for injury.
 
Dec 12, 2012
1,668
0
On the bucket
DD has been going to speed and agility training for several weeks. The instructors there also provide rehab and therapy for sports related injuries. They said that certain static stretches can do more harm for the shoulder than good and they prefer dynamic stretches.

They said this static stretch specifically is not good for a pitchers shoulder:

shoulder-posterior_zps5c20ba43.gif



They said to replace most of the static shoulder stretches with dynamic variations of arm circles:

small forward arm circles
small backward arm circles
large forward arm circles
large backward arm circles
vary hand positions during the arm circles, finger tips up, finger tips down.

Has anyone else been advised against this type or other types of static stretches?

Is this a reputable facility? Are you able to share the name? This facility sounds very similar to the one we just started using and by we using I mean me driving and DD working out and practicing.

My DD does the static stretches everytime she warms up to pitch. We just started at Break Away Speed in Houston. I'll try to find out what they think next Thursday.
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
Is this a reputable facility? Are you able to share the name?

It is "Elite Sports Performance Training". They have a good reputation in our area.

This is what DD said they told her... not to do that static stretch.... We pitched last night in the garage and she wasn't doing any of her normal static stretches. I was concerned about her being stretched enough to pitch, and she said her trainers told her to stretch "dynamically" and she demonstrated what they wanted her to do. That's why I was asking here if any others had similar experiences.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
Never do static stretches until your body is warm. 15m of dynamic movement at least. As to this stretch being harmful or not, I cannot say, but doing any stretch cold is not a good idea. Never start your workout with stretches, finishing with stretching is good.

-W
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
In the early 2000's, studies started coming out showing that static stretching prior to a sports activity did not do what was traditionally thought:
-warm up the body
-prevent injury
-improve performance

Static stretches don't warm up the body. I think that one makes sense. The studies also did not correlate static stretching with a reduction in injury. Interestingly, some stretches of major muscle groups were found to decrease performance for several minutes for things like leaping, jumping, sprinting. It was suggested that the stretches held for 20+ seconds that seemed to limit the performance. (See the study link in a following post by GunnerShotgun that says the detriment comes from holding a stretch longer than a minute.)

I think the advice now is to warm up the core with a light jog or low impact activity, followed by a progression of dynamic movements.

My warm ups look something like this:
Short Lines (15 yds) with everything done twice:
-Forward jog down, backwards trot back
-Side shuffles with loose armswings: down and back, facing the same direction: "gorilla's"
-High knees down, heel kickers back
-Carioca
-High skips down, quick skips back
- Zig zag, down--three diagonal shuffles right and touch the ground, three left, etc., then back
(This routine looks really sharp when everyone stays together.)

Dynamic Circle (head to toe exercises while team stands in a circle)
-Easy neck rolls (many discourage anything more than a light roll)
-Frontward swimmers w/ arms crossing in front of the body
-Backwards swimmers
-Torso twists with loose arms
-Front/back armswings (may hold briefly--like a hug)
-Wrist rolls
-Right knee circles: make a circle in front of the body with the knee while balancing on the other leg--switch directions, then switch legs
-Leg swings: front to back. Opposite hand touches opposite toe in front (might need a wall or partner)
-Leg sweeps: side to side in front of the body--foot brushing the ground (Use a partner or wall)
-Ankle rolls: toe onthe ground and roll the ankle around

5 minutes of partner throwing with increasing intensity and distance, then practice starts.

With kids under about 10-12, most of this is overkill. I like to change things up with a good game of glove tag or other fun activity in place of the short lines. Even an occasional jog.

(Editted to limit bad info based on memory. Read the articles and studies for more reliable info...)
 
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