when to ice/heat

[durwood]

i read a previous post about ice and heat. my question is when playing several games on a weekend and dd may pitch at anytime.
what is the length of time between pitching do you ice/heat. my dd rear deltoid tends to get stiff to sore the next day. if she may not pitch for 4 hrs is it ok to ice, or should she wait till the end of the day. any thoughts or advice. thanks

 

[sluggers]

If your DD always has a sore back the day after she pitches, then you are trying to apply a band-aid to a gun shot wound. So, what you should really do, rather than messing around with heat and ice, is figure out ***WHY***. Is her form bad? Is she pitching too much? Is she not stretching enough before she pitches?

How old is your DD? How much does she pitch? Are you willing to limit the number of innings she pitches?

Assuming that you are interested in your DD's long term health when her softball career is over and therefore will do the right thing about limiting her pitching now, here are some links about using heat and cold to treat *MINOR* muscle strains.

Ice or Heat - When to Use Ice and When to Use Heat on a Sports Injury

Hot vs. Cold

 

[Coach Al]

When we exercise, whether it is pitching, weightlifting or anytime we exert ourselves, we cause the muscles that are used to suffer micro-tears. These are good, as the muscle heals it becomes stronger because of it. By icing the muscle after exercise we lessen the bleeding caused by these tears and by doing so shorten recovery time. Some muscle soreness is normal after exercise. However, as sluggers said, if she is constantly becoming stiff she is either over pitching or using improper form. Better to cut back and re evaluate mechanics then to risk serious injury.