Shoulder injuries are the nightmare of every athlete. A single move in the wrong direction can leave you on the bench for weeks— perhaps months. In fact, 81% of all injuries in high school and college female softball players that cause missed playing time are shoulder injuries.
Luckily, you can prevent them to a great extent with some effective preventive strategies. Let’s check out some of the most common shoulder injuries in sports and how to prevent them early hand.
Common Shoulder Injuries in Sports
Sportsmen exert so much pressure on their shoulders. That could cause many injuries like:
- Rotator cuff injury: Occurs when the tendons and muscles encircling the shoulder joint rupture.
- Shoulder Dislocation: The shoulder socket’s upper arm bone can move out of it due to a sudden blow.
- Labral Tear: A cartilage tear that cushions the shoulder joint, resulting in pain.
Tips and Techniques to Prevent Shoulder Injury
If there’s no proper maintenance, shoulder injuries in sports can bench even the best players. Below are pro-level shoulder maintenance tips most athletes overlook (but shouldn’t):
Strengthen Shoulder Stabilisers
Unfortunately, most athletes focus only on strengthening the big muscles like the delts and pecs. Many leave out the scapular stabilisers behind. That can cause severe imbalances in the future.
Scapular push-ups can develop such overlooked muscles surrounding the shoulder blade.
Similarly, you must try out band external rotations as they maintain tendons under tension. It also prevents rotator cuff injury to a great extent.
Fix Your Sleeping Position
Sleeping on your side with your arm overhead can pinch nerves and cause frozen shoulder over time. So, place a pillow under your arm to keep your shoulders neutral. In case you are prone to stiffness, you must practice back sleeping as it reduces the shoulder strain.
Balanced Training
Poor mechanics during exercises are the main culprits of the wear and tear of the shoulder muscles. So, you must:
- Exercise at high intensity 80% of the time and reserve 20% for recuperation.
- Substitute overhead and non-overhead motions to reduce stress to a single muscle.
- After the workout, massage your body and rest properly to let the muscles recover.
Reset Your Shoulders
Most shoulder injuries in sports happen because athletes skip warm-up exercises. You must always perform a 2-minute mobility exercise before going for bench presses or overhead throws.
It could be something as simple as arm circles with backward focus. That relaxes your tight anterior shoulders. Or, you can try out a dead hang for about 15 seconds to decompress the joint.
Pre-Workout Cold Therapy
Most athletes ice only when pain begins. But experts apply ice for 3-5 minutes before workouts. They know that ice can reduce the risk of inflammation prior to intense training.
90-90 Rule
If your activity has overhead movement, never throw more than 90 without resting for 90 seconds. Remember, fatigue can reduce injury risks way better.
Stop Stretching Too Much
Many sportsmen and even fitness coaches believe that stretching a lot is good for a warm-up. Actually, it’s harming! Overstretching can loosen your shoulder joints. That leads to instability and more injuries.
Instead, do static stretching exercises like arm swings. And don’t focus more on stretching. You need to stretch only if you have actual stiffness, like early-stage frozen shoulder.
Practice Overall Upper Body Strength
Shoulders never stand alone. It needs support from the surrounding muscles. Weakness in the back and chest can stress the shoulder joint excessively.
So, train the entire kinetic chain to maintain the balance in your shoulder. You can try out exercises such as kettlebell swings and Turkish get-ups to develop total-body stability.
Importance of Shoulder Injury Prevention
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body. But did you know that it’s also one of the least stable ones?
Just a slight injury can make the shoulder movement significantly weaker. That makes throwing or lifting harder.
Even if the pain fades over time, the chances of a reinjury are greatly increased. Shoulder instability can lead to recurrent dislocations. What began as a minor problem can become a career-long battle.
Chronic stress on the shoulder can gradually lead to cartilage wear. You may get stuck in arthritis at an early age. Numerous athletes have been pushed into premature retirement because their shoulders could not endure the repeated stress.
And guess what? Physical discomfort is only half the issue—shoulder injuries also affect the mental well-being of athletes. To be out of action for months because of a shoulder injury treatment plan can be frustrating for many. Your confidence level may also be affected due to a fear of re-injury.
That’s why prevention is very important. Just a few minutes of exercise can save you from all these long-term injuries.
Conclusion
No athlete should have to sit out because of shoulder injuries in sports. A Epione Pain and Spine, we specialise in non-invasive techniques to protect your shoulders without any surgeries.
Our experts use proven shoulder injury treatment methods to keep your muscles pain-free. Stay in top shape with Epione!
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