Thanks everyone, I will get my DD to alk to him.
Sore Arm
- Thread starter quincy
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- Oct 10, 2011
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Here's a great icing technique that worked for me (two elbow surgeries -wear and tear from boxing) This also worked great for my DD this spring when she had tendonitis.
It's simple and similar to ice baths done by a lot of athletes, but with a little twist.
Just fill your kitchen sink with water and ice. I put a stool next to the sink to sit on but it's not necessary.
Put your entire arm in (she should easily be able to get her bicep in a deep sink. I had both of mine in at the same time.
Only have it in for about 15 seconds and remove. Longer is not better.
Wait 10-15 minutes and do it again for 15 seconds
Do this if possible for up to two hours. This is the worst part of it, but if she watches t.v...do it on commercial breaks.
If you can do this twice a day it's better, but if not, the other time could be a more traditional type of icing method - you can even freeze water in a dixie cup, tear off a little paper on top and use it if on the go etc...
My DD hated it the first couple of dips, but later said it was amazing to get rid of the pain.
By doing it this way, the blood rushes in and out of the area carrying oxygen etc... and it is more effective.
Great for carpel tunnel sufferers also!
It's simple and similar to ice baths done by a lot of athletes, but with a little twist.
Just fill your kitchen sink with water and ice. I put a stool next to the sink to sit on but it's not necessary.
Put your entire arm in (she should easily be able to get her bicep in a deep sink. I had both of mine in at the same time.
Only have it in for about 15 seconds and remove. Longer is not better.
Wait 10-15 minutes and do it again for 15 seconds
Do this if possible for up to two hours. This is the worst part of it, but if she watches t.v...do it on commercial breaks.
If you can do this twice a day it's better, but if not, the other time could be a more traditional type of icing method - you can even freeze water in a dixie cup, tear off a little paper on top and use it if on the go etc...
My DD hated it the first couple of dips, but later said it was amazing to get rid of the pain.
By doing it this way, the blood rushes in and out of the area carrying oxygen etc... and it is more effective.
Great for carpel tunnel sufferers also!
- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
Quincy - Did your DD have any sort of break from softball at all? You make it sound like she's been playing for months with no breaks from practice and games, if I have been following correctly. Is she in school right now?
She had a little bit of a break.
I am wondering if the 2 hours a day practice, games, etc. are wearing her down too. She is not used to this type of schedule. In addition to pitching she is just plain throwing overhand a lot more then she is used to.
I am wondering if the 2 hours a day practice, games, etc. are wearing her down too. She is not used to this type of schedule. In addition to pitching she is just plain throwing overhand a lot more then she is used to.
Icing is treating symptoms of inflammation- microtears in the muscle, but not addressing the underlying issue which is if she is throwing so much that she her arm is hurting and her performance is diminished = she is throwing too much- or has injured herself and has not been allowed to recover to the point where she can do what she was doing before pain-free. One thing to think about is that if she is sore, she may alter her mechanics to minimize the problem, creating a whole other set of issues that may need to be undone.
- Apr 4, 2012
- 44
- 0
This is often saved for older athletes but you might want to take a step back and look at everything she is doing. Is her diet adequate, and of a good enough quality, to support her activities? Is she getting enough sleep? How is her stress level, both physical and mental? How is her body, overall, doing? This one is hard to do after the fact but you would want to keep track of her body comp numbers along with some other markers, like resting heart rate and temperature, to be able to see if anything changes that would give an indication of a problem. Does she put as much effort into strength and mobility work as she does to on-field work?
There is a saying the weightlifting world that I'm not really fond of but there is a bit of truth to it - There is no such thing as over training, just under recovering.
It is very possible to push your body beyond what it will be able to recover from, especially when dealing with highly repetitive motions performed with high levels of effort. However you need to make sure you are not short changing yourself, or you athletes, by not giving them every recovery tool available to them.
On the icing front I would add a technique that I've loved using. Take a Styrofoam cup, fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Once frozen peal back an inch at the top and use it to ice the area. One thing I love about this is it allows the ice to be applied more directly on the effected area, such as the elbow flexors without needing to submerge the entire elbow. It also allows pressure to be applied and the area moved thru various ranges of motion. Think of it as a form of cold ART. I've found it to be high effect and easy to implement.
And again, this is clearly geared towards older athletes who know themselves and their bodies better than kids usually do. They also understand, or at least won't argue as much, that not everything happens on the field.
There is a saying the weightlifting world that I'm not really fond of but there is a bit of truth to it - There is no such thing as over training, just under recovering.
It is very possible to push your body beyond what it will be able to recover from, especially when dealing with highly repetitive motions performed with high levels of effort. However you need to make sure you are not short changing yourself, or you athletes, by not giving them every recovery tool available to them.
On the icing front I would add a technique that I've loved using. Take a Styrofoam cup, fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Once frozen peal back an inch at the top and use it to ice the area. One thing I love about this is it allows the ice to be applied more directly on the effected area, such as the elbow flexors without needing to submerge the entire elbow. It also allows pressure to be applied and the area moved thru various ranges of motion. Think of it as a form of cold ART. I've found it to be high effect and easy to implement.
And again, this is clearly geared towards older athletes who know themselves and their bodies better than kids usually do. They also understand, or at least won't argue as much, that not everything happens on the field.
DD skipped practice so she had a good 5 days off, no softball. Arm is feeling good.
DH this morning she pitched the entire 1st game.
#2 is warming up for the second game and starts. She lasts for 1 out in the 1st before being pulled for DD. Score is like 10-1 with 1 out in the 1st when DD came in. Makes sense DD is warmed up, let her get us out of the inning and while we warm another P up. Nope, DD pitched the entire 2nd game too.
I do not know what HC is thinking. Game is pretty much over after 1 anyways, why does DD need to pitch. How can any P except to get any better without circle time? Urrrr.
DH this morning she pitched the entire 1st game.
#2 is warming up for the second game and starts. She lasts for 1 out in the 1st before being pulled for DD. Score is like 10-1 with 1 out in the 1st when DD came in. Makes sense DD is warmed up, let her get us out of the inning and while we warm another P up. Nope, DD pitched the entire 2nd game too.
I do not know what HC is thinking. Game is pretty much over after 1 anyways, why does DD need to pitch. How can any P except to get any better without circle time? Urrrr.
All HC cares about is winning, not the health of your DD. Ultimately you as the PARENT are going to have to make a decision when to step in and put your DD's health ahead of the team. This may result in having to find another team if your DD's HC is so thick-skulled that he/she cannot comprehend the words coming out of your mouth. It's easy to say "the player needs to talk to the coach" and I agree with that - but let's be honest - the really good coaches listen to the kids and make a decision accordingly - the poor coaches find an excuse to punish a child for daring to speak to him/her and buck the system.
SoCalASABlue is 100% correct. Your DD is too young to speak for herself to an authority figure. She (hopefully) has a long career ahead of her- and I am not meaning to be negative - but there is no need for her to pitch back-to-back games like that- in the long run, this is the type of thing that leads to overuse injuries. You don't want her to be one of those pitchers who is always struggling with injuries? It is so not necessary- I don't agree with the party line that windmill pitching is "natural" and won't cause injury- any repetitive notion performed to the nth degree will cause problems- especially when it begins at such a young age. You need to talk with the coach and set some guidelines so your DD will be fit and healthy well into her college years!
