Many of you know that my little man, Foster, plays baseball for the Dragons organization. He is 13. This year has been interesting as the boys on his team have all sprouted up. He is almost as tall as I am now. This is insane!!!! BUT, with this growth, comes some not so good things. Many of the boys have started to complain of nagging aches and pains. I get to deal with family members asking me to take a quick peek at this and that. I have had back pain, elbow pain, but the most common is shoulder pain. SO, I wanted to talk a little bit about this. Little League Shoulder Little league shoulder is an overuse injury caused by stress to the upper arm bone closest to the shoulder. The stress causes a widening in the growth plate, which results in swelling and pain in the shoulder. It is most commonly seen in overhand athletes between the ages of 11 and 16. If this is left untreated it can result in permanent bone damage. Why does this happen?? Baseball, when I was growing up, was a seasonal sport. We played all sports and rotated between seasons. Today, our kids are almost forced to pick a sport at the age of 8. This causes overuse. Especially, if the child is a pitcher. Tournaments are weekly. If the coach isn’t careful, the pitch count (the number of pitches that the child throws in a game) will get really high. They can Shoulder Pain in the Youth Athlete
of a Licensed Physical Therapist, especially the ones at Pittman PT ;), your child will be evaluated thoroughly to identify the weak, tight, and unstable structures. Then an individualized program will be implemented to help correct these issues. We focus on strengthening the shoulder and armmuscles. We then progress to work on the core, legs and hips (which contribute greatly to mechanics). Then we address any mechanics issues. What can I do about it? If you notice your child having any of the signs and symptoms noted above, rest and ice are the best places to start. Making sure that you are watching the pitch count and rest days is also very important. Physical Therapy and a throwing program are also recommended. Have a great Summer!!! - Jeremy
pitch multiple days in a row, multiple weekends in a row, and practice or weekday games as well. Couple this with the possibility of having poor throwing mechanics. Remember when I said Foster has sprouted up? Not only does this growth make him almost my size, but he now has to relearn how to use his body. All of the old ways of doing things have changed with his new found manliness. There can also be significant weakness noted in the upper back, shoulder and
surrounding stability muscles. What does this look like?
Kids that have this type of injury typically present with pain with throwing. WOW. That is obvious. They can also have pain with lifting the arm. Kids don’t complain that much so we also need to look for decreased speed and control with throwing as a sign to ask questions.
What can I do about it? If you notice your child having any of the signs and symptoms noted above, rest and ice are the best places to start. Making sure that you are watching the pitch count and rest days is also very important. Physical Therapy and a throwing program are also recommended . What does PTdo if it is a growth plate issue? I am so glad you just asked that question!! Under the guidance
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therapy treatments and advancedmanual therapy techniques, we have found that the vast majority of our patients achieved the pain-free goals they were aiming towards. After conducting a comprehensive evaluation to assess the nature of your condition, your physical therapist will let you know if dry needling is the best course of treatment for you. We have used dry needling to treat several diverse conditions, fromchronic pain sufferers toathletes experiencing Most of our patients report feeling little to no discomfort when undergoing dry needling treatments. Our highly-trained physical therapists know how to make the process as painless as possible. Some patients may still experience a “twitch response” with the insertion of the needle. This iscomparable toaquickmusclecrampor ache. The 24-48 hours following a dry needling treatment delayed onset muscle soreness. Will Dry Needling Hurt?
may also result inmuscle soreness, which should go away on its own. Sore muscles can be treated at home by applying ice and/or heat packs and
drinking plenty of fluids. How Does It Work?
This treatment method is used as a way to relieve pain. When performing dry needling, your physical therapist will insert a sterile needle through the skin, into the underlying tendons, ligaments, or muscles that have been affected, in order to relieve pain, decreasemuscle tension, and improve mobility. While it isacommonmisconception, dryneedling is not acupuncture. It is based on amodern scientific study of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems. While there are some similarities, dry needling is strictly based on Western medicine principles and research. It provides an environment that enhances the body’s ability to heal, ultimately reducing pain in the process.
Dry Needling Dry needling is a safe and effective method of treatment provided at Pittman Physical Therapy to reduce pain and muscle tension, while simultaneously improving mobility. It has been proven to treat numerousmusculoskeletal issues, including acute and chronic injuries, overuse injuries, neck pain, headaches, back pain, sciatica, muscle spasms, muscle strains, tendinitis, knee pain, hip pain, fibromyalgia, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and more. There is a large variety of musculoskeletal issues that can be treatedwith dry needling. When paired with our traditional exercise-based physical
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