Did you know baseball pitchers can throw over 100 pitches in a single game? Or that volleyball players generate forces up to three times their body weight with each spike? Did you know that swimmers can complete over 2,000 strokes per practice? All of these repetitive motions put serious wear and tear on the shoulder, so it is important for overhead athletes to be educated on their care to be proactive in their recovery. Let’s explore how consistent care can help the overhead athlete stay playing at their best.

Who is an overhead athlete?

There is a wide range of overhead athletes because many sports require overhead throwing motions, but today, we will focus on athletes who play baseball, softball, volleyball, and or swim (which is often forgotten).

What are the typical injuries an overhead athlete may deal with?

Overuse injuries, such as tendinopathy (injury to the tendons), tend to be the most common because of the nature of the motion (such as throwing to home base in baseball, or spiking a volleyball on a serve), and how often they must repeat these motions.
Injuries to the labrum, (which acts as the shock absorber in the shoulder and takes the heat).
Dysfunction with the shoulder blade.

Overhead athletes often experience acute traumatic injuries, such as:

Falling on the shoulder
Injury to the clavicle (collarbone) or humerus (top half of arm)

Not every overhead athlete receives the same treatment plan because each injury, sport, and position differ.

How can you effectively treat overhead athletes to respect their sport and position requirements? Is baseball different than volleyball?

It’s important to know the difference between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing athletes. A baseball player is a weight-bearing athlete since they are throwing an object. They need strong core and glute muscles because it helps them generate enough rotational strength and power for their movements. When these muscles are weak, athletes are more likely to get overuse injuries in their shoulders or elbows. This happens because there is not enough force coming from the core and lower body, which puts extra strain on the shoulder or elbow.

A baseball pitcher and a baseball outfielder have very different throwing mechanics, so this is where it is important to be able to look at the whole kinetic chain instead of just the hurt or injured area.

A good example of a non-weight-bearing athlete is a swimmer. They aren’t throwing an object but performing an incredibly complex shoulder movement. Our shoulder has four joints that work together, that allow for a full range of motion of 180 degrees. This complexity in the movement and the body part itself makes the shoulder far more intricate than athletes even think about. With that being said, this means that going into a clinic for “pre-hab,” being intentional about recovery during the season, as well as working on limitations during the off-season, are that much more critical.

What can an overhead athlete do to stay healthy long term?

For a baseball player, training rotational core strength and power is key.

But what really helps athletes stay healthy long-term is to lean into preventative measures, especially in season.

As a baseball player, you will experience forces on your shoulder for months at a time.

So, what are you doing in the off-season to recover and work on imbalances? What are you doing in-season to prepare your shoulder to withstand such large forces? Are you warming up and training properly?

Learn how to warm up as an overhead athlete properly, read “Warming Up the Overhead Athlete“ on the Spooner Blog.

For the volleyball player, glute strength and core strength are so important. So, how are you incorporating that into your training?

Have you seen a physical therapist to see if you have any instability or mobility deficits? Extending your spine and rotating can also really wear on the body. So, having that scapula-thoracic rhythm is very important to ensure good mobility, strength, and power. It also can be a really good idea to come in the off-season to record a baseline level and check up through the season to see how your health is doing.

For the overhead athlete, recovery, rest, and care are more than important; it is necessary. You can learn more about how to take care of yourself in the off-season in “The Benefits of Off-Season Training for Youth Athletes“

And for the college athlete, read an in-depth guide to success in “The Student Athlete’s Guide to College Success“

Overall, it is critical to listen to your body and honor what it needs for a long, successful career in sports.

How does an overhead athlete know the difference between being sore versus an injury?

Nowadays, with things like pitch counts and rules and regulations, the problem of overuse injuries is getting better. But really, the responsibility falls on the athlete to communicate with their parents, coaches, and trainers.

Three big yellow lights signs that it is more than just a sore day are:

Pain — Remember, this is your body’s way of telling you something is up. Ignore it for too long, and it can have serious consequences!
Swelling — This indicates something is happening at the cellular level!
Change in range of motion — When an athlete is suddenly having trouble doing the movements they are familiar with, it is time to go get care.

My favorite quote about athlete care is that “Consistent care will keep you at your peak performance”.

In sports, we often think it is about who is the most talented, or skilled. But in reality, sometimes the athlete that gets a scholarship or gets to go on to play professional sports is the one who was intentional about their care.

We are seeing this now in real time with athletes like Lebron James, who is 40 years old and still playing in the NBA. Of course, he is an extraordinary athlete, but his longevity in his career has remained because he took consistent care seriously!

Your body is an amazing instrument that can carry you through long practices, school tournaments, out-of-state travel clubs, college, professional sports, and more. But how far you go, is directly determined by the work you do now to keep yourself healthy for the long-haul.

Want to get your overhead athlete ready for upcoming season, or learn how to prevent injuries in the future? Schedule an appointment at Spooner Rockwall today!

References:

Baseball Reference. (n.d.). Stathead now includes postseason home run logs! Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/7533.html

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