Is Elbow Soreness Normal After Hard Throwing Sessions

Comment by Larry Cicchiello on January 28, 2012 at 1:00pm

I absolutely think it's important enough to warrant a visit to the doctor. And I can't help but wonder WHY "Some youth players 14U up to 18U have frequent elbow soreness after throwing sessions." In my humble opinion, I don't see elbow pain in the same light as muscular aches. I think it's imperative to find out exactly why the elbow pain is occurring.

Comment by Jay Mahn on January 28, 2012 at 1:04pm

You betcha if they are having soreness then something is wrong..I know I have worked with a number of kids that had problems..Went watch them and found they working working off flat ground which did not allow for the proper mechanics to take effect..Get a kid up on a mound..watch his mechanics start them off slow and gradually move up and above all do not let them become fatigued in any way that is a sure way to lead to elbow stress and other arm problems.

Comment by Robin Rushing on January 28, 2012 at 2:06pm

My biggest pet peeve in youth sports.

 

Absolutely shut them down until further evaluation. But not sure what "hard throwing' session means.

May need to warm up properly. but here is my main point:

 

 I have seen more young baseball players "careers" go  downhill at this age due to overuse injuries. It doesnt happen overnight. Typically caused by playing year round. There has to be an off season for recovery and strengthening. Two of the  most successful high school baseball coaches ( in the USA) demand an offseason. No fall ball if you played in summer league.

 

But the parents have to be the line of defense against an overzealous coach. And  the coach has to be the first line of defense for an overzealous dad.

 

It is no coincidence that Sports Rehad Clinics sprout up around youth sports organizations. 

 

  

Comment by Mark F. on January 28, 2012 at 2:36pm

To properly address this I would need to know what constitutes a "hard throwing" session but in general elbow soreness after what most of us would consider a normal training session is most likely indicative of some type of medical issue. Could be tendon or ligament related maybe even nerve related. Any one of which, if not treated and dealt with, can ultimately require surgery to repair.

 

Many coaches simply have not received a detailed enough amount of training to be able to spot the sometimes tiny mechncial problems which can lead to these types of issues. In my own case I had coached for 15 years before I had players and ultimately one of my own kids who progressed to a point where real professional pitching instruction was sought. When it was, I learned that most of what I knew about pitching was flawed in some way and that I needed to improve my knwoledge base of what was exactly going on.

 

If you have questions and don't know how to proceed I might suggest video taping the players and sending the video to someone who might be able to slow the tape or DVD down enough to see what is happening. What goes on sometimes happens so quickly that only somebody who really knows what's what can see what needs to be seen.

 

Mark Perry

Comment by Kip Gross on January 28, 2012 at 3:51pm

Greg,

I'd like to see a video of the kid throwing but if that's not possible I'd like to know where in the elbow the soreness is. If the soreness is on the inside of the elbow closest to the body where the little ball or knot is, it could very well be that the player is getting on the outside of the ball like a slider and supinating his hand instead of pronating. This is a frequent problem with young kids or with players with small hands that have a problem gripping the ball with 2 fingers but instead they use 3 or even 4 fingers to throw the ball. 

If it's the outside part of the elbow it could be because of his mechanics of throwing like a curve ball is thrown. What this means is the player is casting his arm toward the target instead of a fluid motion down the other side of his body which in turn stresses that part of the elbow. 

In both instances it usually has to do with mechanics and they can be corrected pretty easily. Almost every kid, when I 1st start working with them and watching them for just a few throws, I'll say something about where they usually get sore and it's usually dead on. It might be the inside part of the elbow, the outside or even the front or back of the shoulder. Mechanics tell a lot.

BTW, there are different treatments for different soreness's. And I do agree, shut it down until it feels better especially at the younger age.

Comment by Ryan Joseph on January 28, 2012 at 4:29pm

I had medial elbow soreness throughout high school. I was terribly overworked, and my ulnar collateral ligament was slowly tearing. I did one of my graduate research projects on ulnar collateral ligament tears. I have plenty of articles that may be helpful in determining if there is an injury, the pitch limit based on age, etc. If you'd like me to forward any of that information to you just email me at rjoseph@mc.edu

Also, if there was any type of "popping" sound or feeling while they were throwing, that is a typical indicator of a tear. If there is tenderness above or below the medial epicondyle, that also indicates a potential problem. It is possible the flexor/pronator mass is overcompensating for a tear. You may see hypertrophy of these masses and the soreness could be a result from those muscles being overworked. If there is any tingling sensation in the 4th or 5th digits then it is almost certain there is a tear and the ulnar nerve has actually begun to slide into the spot where the tear has occured.

 

Comment by Ted Browne on January 28, 2012 at 5:36pm

Hi John,

Great info.  The link are all broken, however.  It there a "root" article this was lifted from?

Thanks,

Ted Browne

Comment by Ted Browne on January 28, 2012 at 5:52pm

Thanks John.

Comment by L.A. "Skip" Fast on January 28, 2012 at 9:05pm

The root cause for Throwing Arm distress comes from the Pitcher placing all their weight over their Back Foot in their Starting Position.

Ideally, a Pitcher's Starting Position needs to promote a vertical Core coming into and out of their Starting Position.  A vertical Core coming into Foot Plant allows all the Pitcher's Lower Body energy to instantly and naturally travel into their Throwing Hand.

Pitchers who place all their weight over their Back Foot in their Starting Position can't help but move their motion off-balance as they move into their Hand Separation.  They stay off-balance throughout their single leg phase.  At Foot Plant, the Pitcher's Hips disconnect from their Throwing Hand. 

To find their target, the Pitcher adjusts their Throwing Arm angle.  In the process, instead of the energy instantly moving into their Throwing Hand, the Pitcher's Lower Body energy never makes it into their Throwing Elbow. 

Throwing Arm distress becomes the natural outcome from the Pitcher placing all their weight over their Back Foot in their Starting Position.

L.A. "Skip" Fast

Pro Pitching Institute

Comment by L.A. "Skip" Fast on January 28, 2012 at 9:50pm

John,

As luck would have it, I'm between virtual pitching sessions ...

Here's a kinetic pitching chain showing the importance of a Pitcher's Starti...

L.A. "Skip" Fast

Pro Pitching Institute

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