Prevent Shoulder Injuries This Season

Stretching and strengthening exercises will help your athletes maintain flexibility and stability in their shoulder joints and prevent injuries throughout the season. The shoulder experts at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics suggest that your athletes complete a proper warm-up, including stretching, prior to any athletic activity.

“Maintaining flexibility within the shoulder joint reduces the risk of rotator cuff tears and other shoulder injuries in throwing athletes,” explains Dr. Malcolm E. Ghazal, shoulder surgeon at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics. “Not following a proper stretching and strengthening schedule can cause athletes to develop muscle imbalances over the course of the season.”

If one of your athletes experiences a muscle imbalance in the shoulder joint, with some muscles too tight and others too weak, the stronger muscles will likely overpower good mechanics. Dr. Ghazal says that this exposes the athlete to an increased risk of injury.

Encourage your athletes to perform the following exercises prior to each practice and game to avoid shoulder injury this season:

Shoulder Circles: While standing, have your athletes hold their arms straight out to their sides at shoulder height and move their arms in small circles. Have your athletes gradually increase the size of the circles, continuing to circle for at least one minute.

Posterior Cuff Stretch: While standing, have your athletes squeeze their shoulder blades together lightly. Hold for 20 seconds. Then, have your athletes cross one arm across their chest, maintaining a light squeeze between the shoulder blades. Hold for 30 seconds, and then repeat with the other arm.

Bicep Stretch: Have your athletes stand and reach one arm behind their backs, keeping their arm straight. Have your athletes rotate their hand so that their palm is facing down and stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch arms and repeat.

These exercises will warm up your athletes’ shoulder joints, preparing them for athletic activity. If you have questions about how you can help your athletes avoid shoulder injuries this season, contact the shoulder experts at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics by calling (559) 257-4107.