Pitcher's Knees Hurting

[joebrock]

My DD turned 14 in April .... we practice pitching 1-2 x per week ... she is pitching 2 games per week.
She is playing 1st base in Middle school and pitching 1x per week for that team.
Pitching one game a week for LL. A few pracices a week but not pitching at those.

One knee is bothering her around the knee cap as well .... I think her drag leg .. right.
She just grew 3 inches in the last 4 months and lost 9 pounds ...
(surprised she can pitch at all with the drastic change we made in her form and the growth spurt!)

Doesn't hurt while pitching ... or running bases ... only occasional complaint at night (not daily pain) ... no swelling no bruising ...

We are keeping an eye on it .. little ice now and then ... occasional Ibuprofen ....
Doing some leg exercises to help strengthen the muscles (maybe the extra 3 inches requires some leg strengthening)

She has a "gun" from outfield and along with pitching she has not had pain in arm or shoulder thus far ...

Hopefully just "growing pains" for your daughter ...sounds like she has a nice future!

We are icing too...i dont think it's a growth spurt...wish it was though...no swelling or bruising either...maybe just needs some rest! I am going to take her to the Dr though to be sure there's nothing structurally.

 

[halskinner]

We are icing too...i dont think it's a growth spurt...wish it was though...no swelling or bruising either...maybe just needs some rest! I am going to take her to the Dr though to be sure there's nothing structurally.

What is the angle of her stride foot when she touches down? Has she been taught to bend way down befire starting her motions? Does eh playa another sport? has she ever had a lower back injury before?

Hal

 

[joebrock]

She has been taught to touch down at about 45 degrees and no she hasn't been taught to bend way down. No lower back injuries either.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Read a description of Osgood-Schlatters Knee and see if that describes what your DD is feeling.

 

[halskinner]

Next questions. How tall is she and what is her stride length? Does she have a forward lean at push off and a slight backwards lean at touchdown?

Possibly a growth plate issue here from the location of the pain. Possibly a lower back problem since it is conducive to both knees?

Hal

 

[joebrock]

I just finished printing an article on that and it sounds like this may be the problem. I hope this is all it is. I will report back and let everyone know. Thanks for all the reply's and feedback.

 

[joebrock]

Next questions. How tall is she and what is her stride length? Does she have a forward lean at push off and a slight backwards lean at touchdown?

Possibly a growth plate issue here from the location of the pain. Possibly a lower back problem since it is conducive to both knees?

Hal

She is 5'6" but I don't know what her stride length is. She does lean forward with a good "load" and she is supposed to have a backwards lean at touch down but sometimes she doesn't do it. I really think it is Osgood Schlatter's now.

 

[Sweet Pitch 96]

Normally she pitches 12 to 14 innings in one day...150 to 200 pitches

.

What you're describing sounds exactly like the growing pains my pitcher daughter went through for about 2-2 1/2 years. She'd get better for a little while and then have a huge growth spurt. Her pains were identical to your daughter's. She's probably really close to her full height now and rarely has those growing pains anymore. To be safe, though I would definitely have it checked out by a doctor.

Best of luck.

 

[Hillhouse]

hello... this caught my eye because I've had to have knee surgery from pitching. I'm fairly confident my mechanics are sound... it can be a genetic thing. Take her to the doctor and make sure it's not patella tendinitis. That is what I had to have. Mine was severe enough that I needed SURGERY not a scope. It's commonly known as jumper's knee. Commonly occurs in basketball players.

7x your body weight goes through your joints when a pitcher pushes off and lands when pitching. Some bodies are not made to sustain that and additional rehab/conditioning is needed. If it's caught early, physical therepy and a weight program will suffice. If not, she may need a procedure. This is, of course, assuming she has the same thing as I had.

Bill

 

[sluggers]

Bill, you are exactly right about the genetics thing. If you think about the old days of baseball where pitchers pitched 60 games a year, some guys didn't hurt from pitching every other day. Others blew their arms out.

It really is simply luck as to who is going to get hurt and who isn't by these idiot parents and coaches (and I was in both groups) pitching these kids too much.

The other thing that I don't understand is why pitching coaches are so reluctant to state the obvious. In the NCAA, there are hurt pitchers all over the place (e.g., Missouri, Arizona) and yet Michelle Smith gets on the TV and says, "The pitching motion is natural. It won't hurt a girl."

If there were an inning limitation in HS and ASA, there would need more pitchers...so, it seems that there would be more students, and more work for the pitching coaches.