Baseball Injury – How Physiotherapy Can Help?

How players end up with a baseball injury?

In recent years baseball has been seeing a constant increase in popularity. More and more people are drawn to sports. To play baseball well one needs to adept at a few skills. In baseball one should be able to hit, sprint, catch and pitch the ball. However, being a sport that combines so many types of activities increase the risk of injuries.

Baseball happens to rank among the four most popular sports with children. However, due to the gruelling demands, injuries are inevitable. The most common type of injuries in baseball are:

• Tearing down of the shoulder or elbow due to the high speed of pitching
• Tearing of ligaments, as well as scratches that may become infected due to sliding to either reach the base or to catch a ball
• Concussions, bruising of the face or other facial injuries due to being struck in the face
• Surprisingly injuries are more likely to occur while practicing rather than playing an actual match as more time is spent in practice.

In 2016 – 2017 about 79 people were hospitalized for baseball-related injuries in Canada. Around 30% of the injuries sustained from baseball and softball are sprains. Baseball also happens to be one of the main reasons behind injuries to the eye. A study found that around one-third of the eye injuries that happen while playing baseball is a direct result of being struck in the face by a ball. Other studies have listed baseball as the third highest reason for deaths due to head injuries suffered by high school or college athletes.

Some of the common injuries resulting from baseball are:

• Neck sprain, thigh, muscles
• Rotator cuff injury
• Stress fractures
• Pinched nerves
• Joint injuries

Who is likely to get injured?

The most likely player to sustain an injury is the pitcher. Due to the high speeds at which they throw the ball, they are susceptible to damage to their elbow and shoulders. A study showed that pitchers are 2.6 times more likely to sustain a shoulder or elbow injury than other players.

Younger players are also more susceptible to injuries; with those ranging from 5 to 14 years old to be at the greatest risk.

How to avoid injuries?

The best way to avoid injuries is to ensure the joints in arms, elbows, and hips are stable. There are 2 key parts to every joint, these are:

• Active component – this is any muscle that assists in the movement of the joint
• Passive component – pieces of either ligament or joint capsules that hold the bones together
• The passive components tend to become tightened or relaxed leading. This results in the uneven throwing of the ball. This lead can be detrimental for the joints as they may either grind together or become dislocated leading to resulting in tiny tears.

The active components can also be susceptible to imbalance. If the muscles grow weak, they will not be able to support your joint as you try to deliver an extremely high-speed pitch. On the other hand, if your muscles are too high strung they may lead to the joint being pulled out of the socket, misalignment thus leading to injury.

In both cases, passive or active components experience wear and tear of the muscles and joints. If not treated on time these may result in a more painful and severe injury

How Does Physiotherapy help with Baseball injuries?

Physiotherapy cannot only help you after an injury has occurred but also to avoid it. A physical therapist can help assess the stability of the active and the passive components in your joints. This allows them to identify and predict any inconsistencies and can thus either provide or suggest methods and ways to fix the problem.

A high school student, aged 17, came for treatment at a clinic and told the physiotherapist that he experiences pain in his shoulder each time he would pitch a ball. The therapist after conducting a thorough examination of the boy’s shoulder. He concluded that muscles in his joints were tense and if the boy continued without treatment it may lead to a misalignment of his joint. The therapist suggested a series of treatments that will help remove the tension. These ranged from massages, stretches to deep tissue mobilization to loosen the muscle. The boy complied and within a little while the pain subsided. The physiotherapist, however, also suggested some exercises for the boy to partake outside of the session while he was on the pitch. This aided in not only a speedy recovery but also to assess how well the shoulder had healed.

At Pillars of Wellness in Burlington, we understand how physically and mentally stressful dealing with an injury can be. Whether it is a new injury or an old one that has been allowed to accumulate over time, the impact left by such experiences can prove to be equally as distressing. Thus, we provide a range of services that can help you and your loved ones with pain management.

We offer physiotherapeutic services such as:

• Acupuncture
• Chiropractic treatment

We have trained physiotherapist that work on one to one basis with the patients. They help to draw up specified plans of exercising, stretches and therapeutic massages that are best suited for the specific type of injury sustained or an impending one or whatever place the player might be in their recovery cycle.

It is significant that the sessions and treatment are carefully customized after assessing the problem at hand to the full extent. This helps in to provide the best health care for the patient. The injury treatment process may prove to be a long one, so we want to ensure that the recovery period is smooth and comfortable for the patient. Our physiotherapist will work with you at a pace that you are comfortable with and sure to make a speedy and effective recovery.