Pitchers Secondary Position Leading to Injury

[Maaltri]

She never complained of pain from overhand throwing. She described her discomfort as "it feels like it's out of joint." Then I would see her pulling and stretching her arm between pitches. I don't think that she has a major injury, but will get an MRI in a week if she still has discomfort. She has full range of motion in her arm still, but has discomfort when I touch the area or the area is massaged.

During practice and pre-game she throws ALOT of overhand throws.

She wasn't taught to keep a straight arm circle. She hides her pitch to her hip and then goes into the pitch. She has a slight bend in her elbow.

I do not believe that playing short stop alone has been the cause of this. I do believe there are mechanics issues which primarily involve her curveball. She does not stay open long enough to get her hand around her hip and therefore her arm chicken wings sometimes. She is, of course, a different kid around the pitching coach. It seems as if she pitches faster and her mechanics are great around him for the most part. He was the one to point out she wasn't getting around her hip and gave her some drills to correct it.

I'm a little hesitant though to let her go back to SS after this though as I don't want one more thing to add that could cause injury. Additionally, I think I'll keep her away from the curveball until she is older and more control over her body.

 

[chinamigarden]

Many people, including some doctors, think that the pitching motion in softball does not lead to injury. This has been repeated so many times it has become "fact".
Take a look here for some info on what causes shoulder problems in softball pitching. You mention chicken winging, so does this page.

Avoid Pitching Injuries - What NOT To Do Great softball pitching hints and recommendations for girl softball pitchers

 

[UtilityMom]

My DD is a 13 yr old tournament pitcher. She plays 2B and CF most of the time when she isn't pitching but has also played all of the other positions as well. I will say that last year she did break the growth plate in her pitching wrist making a diving catch in CF. It healed and her pitching coach worked on leg and core stengthening drills while she was unable to pitch. After it was healed, she slowing worked back into pitching. Back to the shoulder issue...she has had times when she complained about her neck and shoulder hurting. We found that she had developed a bad habit in her pitching motion. This came during the time that she was learning to throw "junk". She started kicking out her elbow during her fast pitch motion. We call it a "chicken wing". It took some time but when we fixed the chicken wing issue, the shoulder and neck quit giving her problems. You might want to study her pitching motion (or have someone beside the pitching coach) watch the motion. I have to say that our pitching coach is more concerned with my daughter's future as a pitcher and readily points out anything that might cause an injury so it can be fixed before that happens.

 

[sluggers]

Many people, including some doctors, think that the pitching motion in softball does not lead to injury.

Please name ONE doctor who says that.

The truth is that NO doctor has ever said that since 1990. Repetitive motion injuries are a fact, not fantasy.

A pitcher is accelerating her hand to 50 to 65 MPH. It takes a lot of force to get the hand to go that fast, and it takes a lot of force to slow it down after the ball is released. If you do this hundreds of thousands of times, and you will have injury...it doesn't matter what kind of pitching motion she has.

 

[starsnuffer]

Please name ONE doctor who says that.

The truth is that NO doctor has ever said that since 1990. Repetitive motion injuries are a fact, not fantasy.

A pitcher is accelerating her hand to 50 to 65 MPH. It takes a lot of force to get the hand to go that fast, and it takes a lot of force to slow it down after the ball is released. If you do this hundreds of thousands of times, and you will have injury...it doesn't matter what kind of pitching motion she has.

I don't know if you're familiar with the (lack of) health care standards in this country, but there are a plethora of doctors that haven't actually picked up a medical journal or bothered to study their craft since 1990.

I'm not saying they're right, just that they're entitled to exist at the least common denominator of mediocrity just like the rest of the common sheeple who simply don't have standards.

-W

 

[chinamigarden]

Please name ONE doctor who says that.

The truth is that NO doctor has ever said that since 1990. Repetitive motion injuries are a fact, not fantasy.

A pitcher is accelerating her hand to 50 to 65 MPH. It takes a lot of force to get the hand to go that fast, and it takes a lot of force to slow it down after the ball is released. If you do this hundreds of thousands of times, and you will have injury...it doesn't matter what kind of pitching motion she has.

If a doctor is a general practitioner or pediatrician, someone who is not up on Ortho, do you think they have a complete understanding of what is involved in a shoulder issue? Plus do you really think they all understand just how fast these girls are throwing, or the amount of force behind each pitch? Take anyone to their first softball game and whats the first thing they tell you, I had no idea these kids pitched that fast. Toss in an decades old myth and yes while I can't give you names, I am certain there are doctors out there who have no idea what happens to a pitchers shoulder/elbow/wrist... during the practice of her craft. Add in the fact that everyone knows that overhand throwing can cause injury. So take a doctor who tells you that the hundreds of overhand throws a girl makes in a month is the cause of an injury and not the thousands of pitches she throws, I would question how he came to that conclusion.

If you have a pitcher with a sore shoulder, you should either make sure the doc has a sports med background or is willing to listen to you as you explain the forces and actions involved.

 

[Rhino69]

I don't think it has anything to do with her playing SS... if you actually put pen to paper, how many hard throws is she making from that position? We might have 1-2 per game.

The problem is her mechanics while she is pitching. My guess is she is not open, her glove arm is probably flailing toward 1st base.

Stand with your chest square toward a target and try to slowly windmill.. notice at the top of the arc, your shoulder will bind and pivot before it can continue.. that is what causes the shoulder injury. Now stand to the side and point your left shoulder toward the target and windmill. You won't notice any impingement.

Correct her mechanics now before she develops more muscle tissue.

 

[jacketsfan]

The fact is, there are 9 positions on the field, and they all involve overhand throwing. There is one position that requires underhand throwing.

I would (and have) let my DD play other spots.

I can tell you this too - when we talked to colleges, and she said she was a P/1B, they asked "are you really a 1B, or do you park there when you don't pitch?". They see too many pitchers that can't do anything, who claim to be 1B's.

When she told them she was a 3B/P/OF, they thought she was an athlete.

Find the cause, but keep up the other positions.