I have a 2018 grad and he is pitching for his HS varsity team. He is 5-0 with a save. Friday he was shut down for a 2 weeks because of Internal Impingement in the shoulder. How serious is this? Is it reoccurring? Thanks in advance!
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Who did you see about this, and how did they determine it was an impingement syndrome? He seems awful young to have that particular problem. Any active rehab? Rest alone does not typically correct the underlying issue(s) with shoulder dysfunction, and pain will usually return (upon resumption of activity) if all your son is doing is resting.
We went to an orthopedist/sports doctor. He put him through several exercises and evaluated him pretty good. He starts PT tomorrow. The Dr said give him two weeks of PT and it should never bother him again, let it go and he could blow out his elbow. He is also taking pregnazone and something else for inflammation. Forgive the spelling, thanks for the advice/help!
I do believe his mechanics are the cause of the problem. His backside is a little late and he flies open most of the time. That has been corrected I believe but we will have to see I guess. My son says there really is any "PAIN" but it feels like getting "pinched" on the inside and it has gotten sore the last 2 outings.
Unfortunately that's a diagnosis that could be 100% accurate, or could be what the doc comes up what to diagnose pain with no known cause. I wouldn't assume that mechanics are the culprit. Some docs and physical therapists will say yes, but some will say it's overuse, and some will say it's just not enough space in the shoulder for the tendons and ligaments to move freely. The people who tell you that will say that it's not uncommon at all in younger athletes. They'll say that massage to loosen up the knotted tissues is the best therapy. Others will say that's useless. But everybody, even the chiropractors, will agree that ice and anti-inflammatories can help. They'll all also probably agree that therapy, specifically band work, thrower's ten, etc. will help. When my kid started having shoulder issues a while back, a HS coach and ex-Milb pitcher told me that all baseball players, especially pitchers, should do that work preventatively, as the rotator cuff just isn't naturally strong enough to do what it needs to do to play baseball.
If your son's issues persist you might consider getting a physician referral from ASMI. They are happy to do so, and they have ASMI-trained orthopedists all over who are specifically trained in diagnosing and treating baseball related injuries. They can also refer you to somebody who can do a biomechanical analysis of your son's throwing motion. That's probably the only way to be fairly certain whether or not mechanics are the problem.