Learned today my sons arm care program (Rotator Cuff Exersises and Long Toss) have been lacking.
He needed to do more for the scapula, which is now week and winged.
Physical therapy started today. With any luck he will be stronger and better for learning this at the early age of 14.
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I'm not a doctor, but the father of a 20 year old pitcher. I am familiar with what you are talking about. Usually this refers to a problem with external rotation and is caused by a lack of attention to the decelerator muscles in the back of the shoulder. Many times pitchers don't pay attention to exercising the muscles that slow down the arm and they wind up being overused and tight. It's a good idea to always use a balanced approach to training. Have your son do his band and light dumbbell work and focus as much if not more time on the back of the shoulder as the front of the shoulder. This will serve you well in the long run. Good luck.
bballman-
Thanks I appreciate the advice. I think the traditinal arm band exercises don't account for this. He will make it much more of a focus moving forward.
For the fall he is shutting it down and just focusing on the prescribed PT. Hopefully he will be ready for winter workouts and ball in the spring.
I'm pretty sure the Throwers 10 will account for it. The problem is, the kids don't like doing that part because they are harder and they don't perceive any gain from doing them. Ask your PT about it. If not, make note of what your PT is doing for it and make it a part of your son's routine. It's not glamorous to work on the back of the shoulder, but it will pay off in injuries as your son grows and develops.
Ok will do, thanks again for the advice.
My son (RHP 2014) had this problem between his sophomore and junior year and had to shut down pitching for six weeks in the summer and do PT. The timing was not ideal for recruiting, but he did the work, learned the importance of this type of care for his arm and hasn't had a problem since...good luck!
Thanks. Glad to hear it worked out and your son had no further issues. Good luck to him this year.
After a few weeks of rest and physical therapy my son is showing marked improvement.
Also, the more accurate diagnosis was scapular dyskinesia of which the winging is a symptom.
Still no throwing but he is able jog/run and swing the bat without pain.
