Marietta GA Chiropractors Help Understanding Baseball and the Rotator Cuff injury

The rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles that combine at the shoulder to form a thick “cuff” over the joint. These muscles work to stabilize the shoulder, as well as elevating and rotating the arm. Each muscle originates on the shoulder blade (scapula) and attaches to the arm bone (humerus). The four muscles that make up the rotator cuff are the: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis muscles. If you are suffering from a rotator cuff injury in Marietta GA this article can help.

Recent literature has shown that of the four rotator cuff muscles, the Infraspinatus and Supraspinatus muscles have an increased prevalence of injuries in overhead throwers. (ie., baseball, tennis, and volleyball). An important relationship of muscle flexibility and strength exists for proper function in the athlete. When there is an abnormality in this relationship (i.e. increased flexibility/weakness or decreased flexibility/tightness) athletes are prone to sustaining an injury.

The Intricacy of Rotator Cuff Injuries in Marietta GA

Often at the rotator cuff, we see a breakdown of the Infraspinatus muscle in the participants’ throwing shoulder ( think of the muscle right under the hard bony part on the back of your shoulder). Repeated excessive stresses are placed on this muscle because this is the muscle that slows the athletes’ arm down after they have released the baseball. The second muscle most susceptible to injury is the Supraspinatus which is located on the top of the shoulder( the area most of us rub when our shoulder hurts). This muscle primarily acts to lift the arm out to the side and secondarily acts to control the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) from coming in contact with the acromion process. With the breakdown of the Infraspinatus, many athletes will experience “Secondary Impingement” in their throwing shoulder.

This is a result of muscle imbalances within the rotator cuff and results in the tendon of the supraspinatus being compressed between the head of the humerus and the acromion of the scapula. This often will result in the tendon becoming frayed or torn. The most common symptoms of a shoulder injury include pain and weakness. Pain is not always felt when a shoulder is first injured. Most people who do feel pain, report that it is a very vague pain that can be hard to pinpoint. Weakness, on the other hand, seems to be the most reliable symptom of a shoulder injury. Common complaints include an inability to raise your arm above your head, extend your arm behind you, reach behind your back, or reach directly to your side. What should I do if I suspect I or my child have an overuse injury? If you have pain or irritation, the first step is to rest and apply ice to the affected area. This will help to reduce inflammation and stress placed on the involved structures.

The next step athletes and/or parents should do is to contact a health professional (i.e. medical doctor, sports chiropractor, therapist, or athletic trainer). Once you contact a health professional they will help you determine the appropriate course of action. What can a sports Chiropractor or therapist do for a rotator cuff problem? A sports Chiropractor or therapist will look at the movements of the upper extremity in order to test the stability of the shoulder joint for muscle strength and flexibility. Once this has been evaluated, the sports chiropractor can provide the athlete with functional strengthening and stretching exercises that are sport-specific and target the impairments found during the evaluation.

If you think that you or your athlete has rotator cuff ( shoulder) injury and think that Bradford Family Chiropractic can help, please call us at (770) 552-7979. Bradford Family Chiropractic in Marietta GA.

Dr. Ray Gaskey D.C. CES, PES