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Related Experiment Videos

Shoulder weakness in professional baseball pitchers

S P Magnusson1, G W Gleim, J A Nicholas

  • 1Lennox Hill Hospital, New York, NY 10021.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|January 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Professional baseball pitchers show greater shoulder external rotation range of motion but exhibit weakness in supraspinatus and other eccentric strength tests compared to controls. Injury history did not impact strength or range of motion outcomes.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Orthopedics
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Professional baseball pitching places unique demands on the shoulder joint.
  • Understanding adaptations and potential deficits in shoulder range of motion (ROM) and eccentric strength is crucial for injury prevention and performance optimization.
  • Previous research indicates potential asymmetries and weaknesses in pitchers, but the influence of injury history requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare shoulder ROM and eccentric strength between professional baseball pitchers and age-matched controls.
  • To investigate the relationship between pitching-related injury history and shoulder strength and ROM.
  • To identify potential soft tissue adaptations and weaknesses resulting from the demands of pitching.

Main Methods:

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  • A cohort of 47 professional baseball pitchers and 16 age-matched controls were assessed.
  • Shoulder range of motion, specifically internal rotation (IROM) and external rotation (EROM), was measured.
  • Eccentric strength for internal rotation (IR), external rotation (ER), abduction (ABD), and supraspinatus (SUP) muscle was quantified using a hand-held dynamometer.
  • Pitchers were categorized based on injury history: none, conservative intervention, or surgical intervention.

Main Results:

  • Pitchers demonstrated significantly greater bilateral external rotation range of motion (EROM) compared to controls.
  • No significant effect of injury history on shoulder strength or ROM was observed.
  • Pitchers exhibited weakness in supraspinatus (SUP) strength on the dominant versus non-dominant side.
  • Weight-adjusted eccentric strength for ER, ABD, and SUP was lower in pitchers on the dominant side compared to controls.

Conclusions:

  • Pitching leads to soft tissue adaptations, evidenced by increased EROM.
  • Despite increased ROM, pitchers displayed eccentric weakness in multiple shoulder muscle tests compared to controls.
  • The findings suggest that pitching demands may not be sufficient to enhance eccentric strength and could potentially lead to weakness, possibly indicating subclinical pathology or chronic fatigue, particularly in the dominant supraspinatus muscle.