Baseball isn’t the first sport that comes to mind when you think of sports injuries—but even though it may be lower-impact, repeated throwing motions can lead to pitcher’s elbow and common baseball shoulder injuries involving the soft tissues of the rotator cuff.
Baseball players are vulnerable when it comes to knee injuries, as well. Stopping, sliding, and quick changes in direction during base running can cause soft–tissue injuries in the knee, such as ACL tears.
Learn more in this guide from the team at IMPACT Physical Therapy, and then let us know if you’re interested in making an appointment at the location nearest you!
A player suffering from a soft tissue knee injury will experience pain, inflammation, and a feeling that the knee is unstable. Although it may be tempting to play through the pain, doing so can cause or exacerbate tears of the meniscus or the anterior, lateral, posterior, or medial cruciate ligaments.
When it comes to arm injuries, pitchers are even more vulnerable than other players. Repetitive stress on the tendons that rotate the wrist toward the palm can lead to a chronic condition known as “pitcher’s elbow.” This injury causes pain and swelling along the inside of the elbow and forearm, and can be devastating to a team.
Collisions while catching or base running, or a pitch that hits a player, can cause some of the most common wrist injuries in baseball—wrist sprains, strains, and fractures. Repetitive arm motions can also cause tendonitis, a condition characterized by pain, inflammation, and weakness in the ligaments and tendons of the wrist.
The most commonly seen baseball shoulder injuries typically involve the labrum and the rotator cuff. The labrum is a cuff of soft tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint, and the rotator cuff is a complex set of muscles and tendons that keep the shoulder joint stable. Both can become torn and frayed over time, causing swelling, pain, and instability in the shoulder. If left untreated, rotator cuff injuries can even cause a player to lose the ability to rotate the shoulder normally.
If you have questions about how to prevent common baseball injuries, a licensed physical therapist can prescribe targeted exercises designed to strengthen and stretch at-risk tendons and ligaments. Physical therapy can also help you to recover from soft-tissue injuries faster, and build strength and muscle mass that can help prevent future baseball injuries.
Don’t let common baseball injuries keep you sidelined! Learn more about how you can play your best and get back on the field ASAP by contacting us, or stop by one of our facilities in downtown Chicago, the southwest suburbs, and Champagne Urbana!
