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Supraspinatus weakness elevates arm injury risk in young pitchers
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Supraspinatus weakness can often be a precursor of both minor and major shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent baseball pitchers, according to study findings.
Researchers took preseason strength and range-of-motion (ROM) measurements for 101 pitchers from four different high schools during the course of four seasons. Bilateral measurements of internal and external glenohumeral rotation, posterior shoulder ROM, strength in internal rotation, external rotation, supraspinatus and scapular retraction were recorded. The researchers defined injury as missing a game or practice due to shoulder or elbow ailment.
During the four seasons evaluated, 28 upper extremity injuries (19 shoulder, nine elbow) and an incidence rate of 0.58 injuries per 1,000 pitches thrown were observed.
Athletes with supraspinatus weakness were determined to have a 3.6 times higher risk of injury than those without supraspinatus weakness. This weakness was also associated (4.58 times higher injury risk) with athletes who had more than three missed games, according to the researchers.
Pitchers with no internal rotation loss saw an increased injury risk of 4.85 compared with pitchers with a loss of 20° or more.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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