Shoulder pain is a common issue for athletes in throwing sports like cricket, baseball, lacrosse, NFL, and track and field. As these sports heavily rely on explosive shoulder movement, athletes are particularly vulnerable to overuse injuries that can derail their season. However, with the right approach, you can protect your shoulder and enhance your performance. Here are five tips to stop season-ending shoulder pain and keep you at your best throughout the year.
1. Graded Exposure After the Off-Season
After a long off-season, jumping straight into intense throwing can be a recipe for disaster. During this time, your shoulder muscles and tendons may have become de-conditioned, meaning they are not prepared to handle the demands of your sport.
Graded exposure is the solution. This means gradually reintroducing throwing movements and progressively increasing the intensity and volume over time. Start with light throws at a reduced distance and slowly build up to full game intensity. This approach allows your muscles, ligaments, and tendons to adapt to the stress placed on them, reducing the risk of shoulder pain and injury.
Building this progression into your pre-season plan is essential for athletes in throwing sports. Aim to follow a structured program that slowly increases the number of throws, distance, and power you exert, ensuring your shoulder is fully prepared for the season ahead.
2. Don’t Expect to Feel Like You Did During Last Season
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make after the off-season is expecting to pick up right where they left off. You may have been in peak condition at the end of last season, but after several months off, your body has undergone changes. Trying to perform at last season’s intensity too soon can lead to shoulder pain, muscle strain, and even season-ending injuries.
Understand that your body needs time to regain its strength, mobility, and flexibility. Allow your body to adapt as you gradually return to training. Your shoulder muscles, specifically the rotator cuff and stabilisers, need time to build endurance and strength. Be patient, and remember that the goal is to prevent injury and sustain your performance for the entire season.
Mental Preparation Matters
In addition to physical readiness, mental preparation plays a big role in performance. Accepting that your first few weeks back won’t feel the same can help you focus on the long-term goal of staying injury-free and getting stronger as the season progresses.
3. How an Osteopath Can Help
When it comes to preventing and managing shoulder pain, an osteopath can be an invaluable part of your healthcare team. Osteopaths specialise in understanding how the body’s structure and function work together, and they can help you address the root causes of shoulder issues, not just the symptoms. Check out this link outlining how our osteopath, Gary, treats our other osteopath, Kieren, as he prepares for a season of premier cricket.
Assessment and Treatment
An osteopath will assess your shoulder’s range of motion, muscle imbalances, and any areas of tension or restriction. Treatment may involve hands on therapy, shockwave therapy and rehab to calm down symptoms and allow a gradual return to exercise.
Additionally, osteopaths can offer rehabilitation exercises tailored to your specific needs. These exercises will focus on strengthening the muscles around the shoulder, improving flexibility, and addressing lifestyle factors that may contribute to shoulder pain. Working with an osteopath ensures that your shoulder is in peak condition, not just for this season, but for seasons to come.
4. Prioritise Pre-Season Strength and Conditioning
A successful season starts long before the first game. To avoid shoulder pain and injury, it’s critical to prioritise pre-season strength and conditioning. Focusing on building a strong foundation during this period will ensure that your shoulder is resilient enough to withstand the demands of throwing sports throughout the entire season.
Strengthen the right muscles: The shoulder joint is complex and requires stability from surrounding muscles, particularly the rotator cuff, deltoids, and scapular stabilisers. Incorporating exercises that target these areas can reinforce the muscles that protect your shoulder from excessive stress during throwing. Building in some plyometric training for the shoulder can be a great way to bridge the gap between strength training and the explosiveness of throwing. Because throwing is such a violent action, building ‘violent tolerance’ in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and back in our training, allows for a more capable throwing system when the season starts. check out this video by @dacperformanceandhealth on instagram, this is what I mean by ‘violent tolerance’.
Improve mobility: Along with strength, shoulder mobility is key to preventing overuse injuries. Regularly performing mobility exercises, like shoulder dislocates or thoracic spine stretches, will help keep your shoulder joint flexible, allowing you to generate more power in your throws without risking injury.
Finally, pre-season is the ideal time to address any existing imbalances or weaknesses in your shoulder mechanics. By improving both your strength and mobility, you’ll enter the season with a well-prepared shoulder that is more capable of handling the repetitive demands of throwing, reducing the risk of pain or injury as the season progresses.
5. Proper Recovery and Rest
Throwing sports are high-impact on the shoulder, and even with the best preparation, you need to prioritise recovery. Rest days are crucial to allow your shoulder tissues to repair and rebuild after intense sessions. Overworking your shoulder without giving it time to recover can lead to inflammation, pain, and long-term damage.
In addition to rest, consider using active recovery techniques like stretching, yoga, or swimming to keep your shoulder muscles loose and promote blood flow to the area. Cryotherapy, heat therapy, or compression sleeves can also help reduce inflammation and accelerate recovery after games or practice.
Monitor Pain Levels
If you experience persistent shoulder pain, don’t ignore it. Seek help early from a healthcare professional, such as an osteopath, to prevent a small issue from turning into a season-ending injury. Early intervention can save you weeks or months on the sidelines.
Conclusion
Shoulder pain doesn’t have to be a season-ending injury if you take the right preventive measures. By gradually increasing your workload, managing expectations after the off-season, seeking osteopathic support, building strength throughout the season, and prioritising recovery, you can protect your shoulder from overuse injuries. In throwing sports like cricket, baseball, lacrosse, NFL, and track and field, these strategies are essential to keeping you on the field and performing at your best.
If shoulder pain persists or worsens, remember that an osteopath can provide targeted treatment and advice to get you back on track. Don’t let shoulder pain end your season—stay proactive, listen to your body, and give your shoulder the care it deserves!
