Thrower's Shoulder

Introduction[edit | edit source]

High stressors in throwing motion

Overhead throwing places exceptionally high stresses on the shoulder. The thrower's shoulder must be loose enough to allow excessive external rotation but stable enough to prevent symptomatic humeral head subluxations, requiring a delicate balance between mobility and functional stability. This balance is frequently compromised and believed to lead to various types of injuries to the surrounding tissues.[1]

Treatment of the Thrower's shoulder is exceptionally challenging. Awareness and understanding of the throwing motion and the forces the structures are subject to are essential to diagnosis and treatment.[2] See Throwing biomechanics

Huge stresses are placed on the thrower’s shoulder during the overhead motion. Isolated injuries of the shoulder structures may occur, but more typically a cascade of pathologic changes is commonly in the overhead throwing athlete. Common injuries seen in the Thrower's shoulder include superior labral tears, partial-thickness tears of the posterior supraspinatus and anterior portion of the infraspinatus, a tight posterior capsule, and anterior instability.[3]

The typical injuries seen in the throwing shoulder seldom occur in isolation, with an overlap of symptoms and clinical findings being common.[4] Below are the main diagnoses associated with Thrower's Shoulder.

Baseball pitching motion

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Wilk et al. Shoulder Injuries in the Overhead Athlete. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009;39(2):38-54. Article. Available:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19194026/ (accessed 12.1.2023)
  2. Seroyer ST, Nho SJ, Bach Jr BR, Bush-Joseph CA, Nicholson GP, Romeo AA. Shoulder pain in the overhead throwing athlete. Sports health. 2009 Jan;1(2):108-20.Available:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445067/ (accessed 12.1.2023)
  3. Musculoskeletal Key The Thrower’s Shoulder Available:https://musculoskeletalkey.com/the-throwers-shoulder-3/ (accessed 12.1.2023)
  4. Medina G, Bartolozzi III AR, Spencer JA, Morgan C. The Thrower’s Shoulder. JBJS reviews. 2022 Mar 1;10(3):e21.Available:https://journals.lww.com/jbjsreviews/Abstract/2022/03000/The_Thrower_s_Shoulder.14.aspx (accessed 12.1.2023)
  5. Orthobullets Shoulder Injuries in the Throwing Athlete Available:https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/shoulder-injuries-in-the-throwing-athlete/ (accessed 12.1.2023)