Baseball Shoulder Injury
As a baseball player, your shoulder is crucial for accuracy, precision and velocity when throwing or hitting. Due to the immense stress this complex joint experiences during play, it can be susceptible to injury that leads to shoulder pain, especially for pitchers. If you’re injured due to playing baseball, the best thing you can do is seek expert diagnosis and specialized care.
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Why Do Shoulder Injuries Happen in Baseball?
Shoulder injuries can occur as a result of a combination of factors, including:
- Overuse and fatigue: The muscles and tendons surrounding the shoulder can suffer fatigue due to an athlete playing too much, throwing too many pitches or not allowing adequate time for rest.
- Flawed mechanics: If your throwing mechanics are flawed, there may be excessive and abnormal stress and strain on certain ligaments, tendons and muscles in your shoulder.
- High-velocity throws: Shoulder injuries can result from repetitive high-velocity throwing that overloads the joint’s dynamic and static stabilizers.
A Look at Rotator Cuff and SLAP Tears
Two of the most common injuries among baseball players are rotator cuff tears or strains and Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior (SLAP) tears.
Rotator Cuff Tear or Strain
The rotator cuff is located in the shoulder and is made up of four muscles, each with its own tendons. Tears occur in the rotator cuff often due to overuse from overhead throwing. They can range from partial-thickness to full-thickness tears, both of which require specialized treatment.
Rotator cuff strains, on the other hand, result from overstretched or partially torn muscles and tendons. A recent study showed that 790 out of 3,414 shoulder injuries among baseball players were diagnosed as rotator cuff strain or tears.
SLAP Tear
This injury affects the cartilage ring in the shoulder joint and can be caused by the high forces generated during overhead throwing. SLAP tear injuries frequently occur in baseball pitchers and often cause persistent pain or loss of power.
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Get Specialist Treatment for Your Shoulder Injury
Athletes in Houston and beyond trust Dr. Barrett S. Brown, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with more than 23 years of experience, for accurate diagnosis and specialized treatment of baseball shoulder injuries.
Using advanced tools and comprehensive physical exams, Dr. Brown identifies the source of your pain and builds a conservative-first treatment plan tailored to your needs. Surgery becomes a final resort only if conservative care hasn’t provided enough improvement.
Schedule an appointment online or call us at 346-247-2531.