Unusual Shoulder Pain In A High School Hockey Player

Background: The relationship between pitch volume and injury is well-represented within baseball literature. However, the impact of softball pitch volume on injury epidemiology is limited. Hypothesis: The purpose was to determine if increased pitch volumes in high school–aged softball pitchers are related to increased rates of subjectively reported pain/injury. We hypothesized that pitchers with increased volumes would have higher pain/injury rates. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: A total of 28 female softball pitchers (aged 14-18 years) completed an online survey of questions pertaining to pitching history, pitch volume, and subjective report of pain or injury in the back, shoulder, and elbow. An independent-samples t test was used to (1) compare pitch volumes in those who reported pain in individual body regions (shoulder, elbow, back) compared with those who did not; (2) compare pitch volumes in those who reported pain in 0 or 1 of the regions of interest compared with 2 or 3 regions; and (3) compare the reported percentage of the past year that players reported playing through pain in players who averaged >85 compared with <85 pitches per game. Chi-square analysis was used to compare those who pitched either >85 or <85 pitches per game with regard to frequency of shoulder pain, elbow pain, back pain, seeking of medical attention, and actual injury diagnosis. Type I error was set at α = 0.05. Results: Weekly and yearly pitch counts were higher in those reporting pain or injury (YES) than those who did not (NO) in the shoulder (pitches per week: NO = 219 ± 35; YES = 429 ± 101; P = 0.027) (pitches per year: NO = 8876 ± 946; YES = 19,195 ± 4944; P = 0.022) and back (pitches per week: NO = 188 ± 16; YES = 426 ± 90; P = 0.014) (pitches per year: NO = 8334 ± 793; YES = 18,252 ± 4340; P = 0.027). Similar results were observed for those with pain or injury reported in 2 or 3 regions compared with 0 or 1 regions (pitches per week: NO = 220 ± 38; YES = 414 ± 95; P = 0.039) (pitches per year: NO = 8765 ± 1010; YES = 18,661 ± 4623; P = 0.028). Those reporting shoulder pain or injury also reported higher pitch counts per game (NO = 71.4 ± 5.2; YES = 83 ± 4; P = 0.049), and those reporting back pain also reported playing more games per week (NO = 2.7 ± 0.2; YES = 5.2 ± 1.1; P = 0.034). Those with pitch counts of >85/game were more than twice as likely to see a physician regarding pain/injury ( P = 0.027) and reported playing through pain a higher percentage of the year (>85, 49.3% ± 10%; <85, 25.2% ± 6%; P < 0.05). Conclusion: High pitching volumes commonly prevalent in high school–aged softball pitchers may be associated with increased pain/injury and appear related to cumulative volume. Clinical Relevance: This study provides recommendations for cumulative pitch volume guidelines in softball pitchers.

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Risk Factors Associated With Shoulder Pain and Disability Across the Lifespan of Competitive Swimmers

Journal of Athletic Training ◽

10.4085/1062-6050-47.2.149 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 149-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 81

Author(s):

Angela Tate ◽

Gregory N. Turner ◽

Sarah E. Knab ◽

Colbie Jorgensen ◽

Andrew Strittmatter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Shoulder Pain ◽

Age Groups ◽

Muscle Length ◽

Scapular Dyskinesis ◽

Shoulder Injuries ◽

Shoulder Injury ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Pectoralis Minor ◽

Competitive Swimmers

Context: The prevalence of shoulder pain among competitive swimmers is high, but no guidelines exist to reduce shoulder injuries. Elucidating differences between swimmers with and without shoulder pain can serve as a basis for the development of a program to prevent shoulder injury that might lead to pain and dysfunction. Objective: To determine whether physical characteristics, exposure, or training variables differ between swimmers with and without shoulder pain or disability. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Multisite swimming centers. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 236 competitive female swimmers aged 8 to 77 years. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants completed the Penn Shoulder Score and underwent testing of core endurance, range of motion, muscle force production, and pectoralis minor muscle length and the Scapular Dyskinesis Test. Swimmers were grouped by age for analysis: ages 8 to 11 years (n = 42), 12 to 14 years (n = 43), 15 to 19 years (high school, n = 84), and 23 to 77 years (masters, n = 67). Comparisons were made between groups with and without pain and disability using independent t tests for continuous data and χ2 analyses and Fisher exact tests for categorical data. Results: Nine (21.4%) swimmers aged 8 to 11 years, 8 (18.6%) swimmers aged 12 to 14 years, 19 (22.6%) high school swimmers, and 13 (19.4%) masters swimmers had shoulder pain and disability. Differences that were found in 2 or more age groups between athletes with and without shoulder pain and disability included greater swimming exposure, a higher incidence of previous traumatic injury and patient-rated shoulder instability, and reduced participation in another sport in the symptomatic groups (P < .05). Reduced shoulder flexion motion, weakness of the middle trapezius and internal rotation, shorter pectoralis minor and latissimus, participation in water polo, and decreased core endurance were found in symptomatic females in single varying age groups (P < .05). Conclusions: Female competitive swimmers have shoulder pain and disability throughout their lives. Given that exposure and physical examination findings varied between athletes with and without substantial pain and disability, a program to prevent shoulder injury that might lead to pain and dysfunction appears warranted and might include exposure reduction, cross-training, pectoral and posterior shoulder stretching, strengthening, and core endurance training.

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