Injusry Study

I don't know if this has ever been posted here so I thought I would do it. Here is a brief quote:

"This study measured the effect of single-season pitching on player-reported fatigue, player-reported pain, objective strength, and range of motion in high school fast-pitch softball pitchers before and after games both at the beginning and at the end of a single high school season. We found that shoulder strength decreased significantly through the course of a game throughout the season. Also, more games pitched during the season significantly increased pregame pain and fatigue while decreasing pregame shoulder strength. The cumulative effects of pitching through the course of the season, particularly more than ten games, appear to predispose pitchers to increased pain and fatigue."

One surprise for me was the decrease in measured strength. The study is filled with scientific language so just skip to the discussion and conclusion, unless you are in the field.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4916099/

To me that’s a very limited study. Seventeen participants is very, very small and there were variables not accounted for that they did mention in their discussion (pitching year-around, if the pitcher did strength training, etc) that could definitely affect the outcomes measured. I also didn’t see any physical measurements for the pitchers as well (height, weight, etc) which may or may not have an effect on the outcomes (or maybe I missed it, I skimmed the article).

I just think it is a very limited study to be able to apply the results to all HS pitchers because knowing how very different girls can throw (IR vs HE), and the other important components mentioned above that weren’t included in the study could potentially create very different outcomes.

ArmWhip said:

...We found that shoulder strength decreased significantly through the course of a game throughout the season. Also, more games pitched during the season significantly increased pregame pain and fatigue while decreasing pregame shoulder strength. The cumulative effects of pitching through the course of the season, particularly more than ten games, appear to predispose pitchers to increased pain and fatigue."...

Click to expand...

Really? Sounds like the work of Dr. Obvious.

On DD's HS team there are 5 girls who pitch (3 JV and 2 Varsity). They all play "A" level travel ball and only 1 lifts weights or works out.

Yep, and I would assume not working out or not doing some sort of strength training pre-season would predispose to more muscle fatigue and potential injury.

My DD never really worked out in TB or HS and toward the end of the season she was sore and tired. When she was at Chipola and then at SC she worked out. At SC she had access to whatever she needed and then some including a trainer that traveled with the team. She got regular massages and had a great diet. And at the end of the season she was sore and tired. Nothing wrong with this and I should be suspicious if it were any other way. She knew her body, her limitations, and when to take a break.