Weekend warrior with shoulder pain, please help

[Oilcanbland]

I’ll start by saying that if this post is in the wrong category or should belong somewhere else, I’m sorry. I am 26 years old, and have been out of competitive ball a few years now. I have however played in a men’s league in my town. I’m a pitcher.

Ever since I got done playing college ball, and stopped throwing on a consistent basis, my velocity has gone way down because of shoulder pain. I was wanting to get some opinions on here so I can begin taking the necessary steps to get my arm back in shape over the winter and be ready to pitch again next spring.

Ever since I got done with college ball my shoulder has slowly and progressively gotten worse. In high school and college I’ve always been able to hit the mid 80s with my fastball. As I began to throw less and less consistently, I began to have pain in the back part of my shoulder, but it only comes on when I really try to cut loose. I can warm up and throw with moderate effort without any pain, but when I really try to let it fly, I get tremendous pain.

I’m pretty sure it is my rotator cuff muscles, because if I really dig my fingers in the rear part of the shoulder I can touch the muscles that hurt. It definitely isn’t the outer deltoid muscles. This problem has pretty much not allowed me to take to the mound at all. It sucks.

My questions are this. Is this most likely my rotator cuff muscles having stiffened up and weakened since I just don’t throw consistently or could this be something more serious? Many of the guys I play with are also the same age as me and have been out of the game for a while, but I seem to be the only one with this problem. What advice or suggestions can any of you give me for getting my arm back in shape. Thanks for the help.

Brandon

[Chris O'Leary]

Ever since I got done with college ball my shoulder has slowly and progressively gotten worse. In high school and college I’ve always been able to hit the mid 80s with my fastball. As I began to throw less and less consistently, I began to have pain in the back part of my shoulder, but it only comes on when I really try to cut loose. I can warm up and throw with moderate effort without any pain, but when I really try to let it fly, I get tremendous pain.

I’m pretty sure it is my rotator cuff muscles, because if I really dig my fingers in the rear part of the shoulder I can touch the muscles that hurt. It definitely isn’t the outer deltoid muscles. This problem has pretty much not allowed me to take to the mound at all. It sucks.

My questions are this. Is this most likely my rotator cuff muscles having stiffened up and weakened since I just don’t throw consistently or could this be something more serious? Many of the guys I play with are also the same age as me and have been out of the game for a while, but I seem to be the only one with this problem. What advice or suggestions can any of you give me for getting my arm back in shape. Thanks for the help.

What you're describing could be a serious shoulder problem.

You need to go see an MD.

[TG Coach]

After you get medical advice here I suggest you visit your doctor for pitching advice. Seriously, if you have a torn rotor you have two choices; rest for a year and see what happens or have surgery. Neither choice guarantees a successful return.

I tore my rotor in my early forties playing 28+ baseball for two months. After twenty years between starts my arm was strong. I could throw hard from the outfield. I was showing off I could throw with the guys in their 20's. But without the proper conditioning I tore my rotor. After a year rest I was ok. I only felt minor discomfort the evening of and day after pitching youth baseball BP. I was up to two hundred pitches a session last year. The pain returned this year after ten years. I'm not throwing this year. My arm feels fine.

The problem is when you are a working professional you're not going to have the time to condition yourself the way you should. You have to be careful. If you don't have a torn rotor you need to start from scratch with proper conditioning of your arm and don't rush back to action.

[handyman11]

I'm going through the same shoulder issues right now ... still trying to compete in an O/25 wood bat league in my early 50's .... and got a cortisone shot to deal with some shoulder discomfort ...all was good for most of the season , but it's really a band-aid that masks the real issue .... surgery is not an option , so I'm really hoping a winter of rest will help it ... if not , the only option may be to just DH , which may not make it worth playing ...

Any time you have shoulder issues , it's definitely time for a doctor's evaluation ...

[Jake Patterson]

I'm going through the same shoulder issues right now ... still trying to compete in an O/25 wood bat league in my early 50's .... and got a cortisone shot to deal with some shoulder discomfort ...all was good for most of the season , but it's really a band-aid that masks the real issue .... surgery is not an option , so I'm really hoping a winter of rest will help it ... if not , the only option may be to just DH , which may not make it worth playing ...

Any time you have shoulder issues , it's definitely time for a doctor's evaluation ...I went through a similar issue when I played. It wasn't until I re-learned how to throw a few years back that I was able to throw pain free. At 53 I feel better now throwing BP than I did 20 years ago. I have range of motion issues and rotator cuff issues. If you are interested PM me and I'll get you some information.

[LAball]

There might be nothing significantly wrong with you since you can throw moderately without pain. Your problem is maybe you know how to give it but your out of shape to take it. Meaning you still have the aggression and the biological mechanics to heave the fastball, but your musculature is not able to withstand the force. So take your time to build up to your fastball. OR..

Rest it for 2 months and start back again slowly. Unless you need to play ball, or wana spend all that cash for medical expenses ( Medical expenses are great because they dont tell you have much you have to pay before you get an MRI or an Xray- well xrays are cheap). If you have the baseball itch, throw with your Left hand, it might be fun.

2 cents

[Paulypal]

If nothing is torn and there is no way of telling without a test or two...then rest is not the answer. People always say rest it. Its the first response and it is meant well.

Rest may make the pain go away and give you a false sense of healed up but once you use it again your toast again. You need to make the area stronger...no way around it.

http://www.bassett.org/sportsmedicine/rehabshoulder.cfm

[Oilcanbland]

Thanks guys,

As far as the rest goes I've taken every off season completely off from throwing. I never picked up a ball in the fall/winter months for the last few years, and it has still managed to flare up every summer.

I did go and get an MRI a couple years out of college for this problem, and it came back fine. But it only flares up on me every time I really try to cut loose. I'm not sure if it's a torn cuff or not, since I can still throw but just not all out. I would assume the pain would be much worse and would hurt no matter how hard I tried to throw if it was torn, but what do I know?

I'm no M.D. but here's what I think it is. Since I've been out of competitive ball and stopped throwing year round, my rotator cuff muscles have stiffened up, and somewhat weakened. I don't have the range of motion I used to. When you try to really put some juice on the ball, the shoulder uses a little more range of motion after the ball is released due to the extra force used to throw hard. So I'm trying to throw with the same force as I used to, but my muscles are stiffer now, and when I throw hard, it stretches it past the comfortable range of motion, therefore overextending the muscles and perhaps tearing it somewhat. That's what I believe it is.

Here's what I'm going to do. Stretch the he!! out of it this winter, and try to strengthen my rotator cuff muscles. Another question is what are the best and latest exercises everyone is using now to strengthen the rotator cuff? I'm familiar with all of the classic rubber band exercises, but wasn't sure what is being used nowadays. Any help on that would be helpful as well.

Once again, thanks for all of your help. Brandon.

[Chris O'Leary]

Here's what I'm going to do. Stretch the he!! out of it this winter, and try to strengthen my rotator cuff muscles. Another question is what are the best and latest exercises everyone is using now to strengthen the rotator cuff? I'm familiar with all of the classic rubber band exercises, but wasn't sure what is being used nowadays. Any help on that would be helpful as well.

Stretching will do nothing good and plenty that's bad.

If you insist on not going to an MD, at least get on a balanced shoulder/rotator cuff conditioning program.

Google Throwers Ten.

[APPpitch]

:)

Static stretching is bad. A dynamic warm up is how it is done. Doing nothing in the off season is not good. Condition and throw lightly for increasingly longer periods of time and resist all out efforts until you can consistently throw for about 20-30 minutes.

The older you get, the longer it takes to be fully warmed and ready.

Mechanically speaking, you could be a long or short arming robot relying just on the upper third of your body. You could post video and seeing you answers lots of questions. What you got away with 5-7 years ago doesn't mean much now.

At 41, it took me 3 solid off season months to survive 80 innings of 35+ action.

But I also took my own advice and corrected things that without video, I'd have never realized.

You can do this! You have about 20 more years of baseball playing to do. Have fun making life's physical adjustments!

-scott

[Postblankier]

Your problem is likely your teres minor barking at you from pulling across your body after release. The teres minor is very small and isn't an adequate "brake muscle." Do you find that you pull across quite noticeably?

It probably didn't bother you when playing regularly because your body made some form of an adjustment, but has since undone itself due to disuse. Resting with the intention of eventually trying to pitch again is bad advice, feel free to ignore it. Rest is what put you in this situation. PT will only do so much, you need to learn not to pull across your body.

[Oilcanbland]

Chris I'm not insisting on not seeing an MD, I'm just saying that there are some things I'd like to try before I get the docs involved. Not to mention that's a lot of $$ that isn't exactly in the budget at this time. If it's still bothering me next year, I'll have to go see one. I also don't know why you say that stretching will do NOTHING good and plenty bad. How is increasing the flexibility of any muscle in the body ever a bad thing in terms of athletic ability?

I know that static and/or cold stretching is not the only or best way to increase flexibility. That's why I was asking for the advice on a exercise or flexibility program. I Googled the Throwers Ten program, and that looks like something I'll begin doing. Thanks for that.

As far as a throwing program, I'm going to try to start that. The only problem is trying to find someone to throw with. I've got a tarp with a strike zone cut out, but I'll be living in an apartment complex and am not sure if I have room to set that up or not. Hopefully I will, we'll see.

It may very well be my teres minor muscle that is bothering me. If by pulling across you mean throwing across my body, I don't really do that too bad. But that could be the muscle that is giving me problems. A video would be a good idea, but just don't have the equipment for that at the moment.

Thanks for the encouragement Scott. I'll be playing baseball til my body falls apart :)

[LAball]

I agree with Chris that stretching ur arm wont help may may do harm. You say you have rested your arm before, so it doesnt seem like an overuse problem. Then it may be an over stress problem. Your shoulder is not able to handle the stress when you throw full speed. So yes strengthen your rotator cuff. Also throw 1-2 times a week in the off season. You dont have to throw strikes, maybe off a wall and get some grounders. Dont let your arm get weak. Then maybe 1 time a month throw 90%-95% of max.

I'll use this analogy. A weight lifter that lifts a lot of weights stops lighting for a year. Then goes back and lifts again. He still lifts hard and aggressive because he still knows how and is still able to focus his muscles. But his muslce are out of shape and cant take the amount of stress.

[Chris O'Leary]

How is increasing the flexibility of any muscle in the body ever a bad thing in terms of athletic ability?

Increasing the flexibility of a muscle isn't possible. The only things you can stretch out are tendons and ligaments, which decreases the stability of joints (which is bad).

I use progressive long toss to have my guys warm up. That way they gradually warm up (increase the temperature and blood flow to) their muscles.

Leave tendons and ligaments alone.

I also think that people who say "Warm up to throw, don't throw to warm up" are wrong.

[regionman]

Increasing the flexibility of a muscle isn't possible. The only things you can stretch out are tendons and ligaments, which decreases the stability of joints (which is bad).

I use progressive long toss to have my guys warm up. That way they gradually warm up (increase the temperature and blood flow to) their muscles.

Leave tendons and ligaments alone.

I also think that people who say "Warm up to throw, don't throw to warm up" are wrong.

Chris is correct. If you stretch in a static position, you are liable to produce micro tears in the tendon and ligament fibers, as well as muscle tissue.

The musles need active increased blood flow to prepare themselves for competition at maximum levels. Progessive use of these muscles will do just that.