Playing Ball? Know Before You Throw

Darien Daily Voice—April 19, 2016

In a recent article published by Darien Daily Voice, Andrew D. Pearle, MD, a sports medicine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery, explains injuries that can occur at the start of the baseball season to ligaments that are not used as frequently. 

Dr. Pearle describes a conversation that he had with a friend who had not seriously thrown a baseball in many years: "A close friend called me during a trip to spring training," said Dr. Pearle "I'm so excited to live baseball for a week in Florida," said his friend. "I even got out my glove today, and threw with my son for an hour showed him my old fastball and slider," he said. "Knowing my friend had not thrown seriously since high school 20 years earlier, I asked him how his arm felt," said Dr. Pearle. "A bit sore," was his response, "but I’m sure it’ll be fine tomorrow" he reassured. “I’ll see you in my office in a week,” said Dr. Pearle, knowing just how delicate shoulders can be.

According to the article, "Throwing a baseball puts stress on the shoulder and requires an explosive and coordinated type of shoulder muscle activation way beyond our normal daily activities. Professional pitchers begin preparing their shoulders for the grueling season months before spring training."

To read more, visit Darien.DailyVoice.com.