Original articles  SPORT INJURIES AND REHABILITATION 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2003 June;43(2):189-201

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

The effects of various therapeutic measures on shoulder strength and muscle soreness after baseball pitching

Yanagisawa O. ¹, Miyanaga Y. ², Shiraki H. ², Shimojo H. ², Mukai N. ², Niitsu M. ³, Itai Y. ³

¹ Doctoral Program in Medical Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan 2 Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan 3 Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Aim. ­This ­study was ­intended as an inves­ti­ga­tion of the ­effects of var­ious ther­a­peutic meas­ures on the ­shoulder ­strength and ­muscle sore­ness ­after base­ball ­pitching.
­Methods. Experi­mental ­design: par­tic­i­pants ­threw 98 ­pitches in a sim­u­lated ­single ­game. The ­mode of the ther­a­peutic meas­ures ­after ­pitching ­were clas­si­fied ­into 4 ­groups; the con­trol ­group (CON), the ice treat­ment ­group (IT), the ­light ­shoulder exer­cise ­group (LSE) and the ice treat­ment ­with LSE ­group (ILSE). ­Each ther­a­peutic ­measure was ­applied to the dom­i­nant ­shoulder imme­di­ately ­after ­pitching. Par­tic­i­pants: ­7 ­healthy, ­skilled base­ball ­pitchers. Meas­ures: ­both ­shoulder ­strength and ­muscle sore­ness ­were meas­ured ­before ­pitching, imme­di­ately ­after ­pitching (­Post-P), at the ­time of the ther­a­peutic ­measure (­Post-TM), and 24 ­hours ­after ­pitching (­Post-24 h).
­Results. All 4 ­groups ­showed ­shoulder ­strength ­losses in ­shoulder abduc­tion, ­internal/­external rota­tion ­with no ­shoulder abduc­tion or ­with the ­shoulder ­abducted to 90° imme­di­ately ­after ­pitching. ­ILSE had ­greater ­recovery ­from ­Post-P ­values at ­Post-TM or ­Post-24 h ­than the ­other ­methods in all 5 ­shoulder ­strengths. On the ­other ­hand, the sore­ness in ­shoulder ­internal rota­tion was ­increased sig­nif­i­cantly ­from ­Post-P and con­tinued by ­Post-24 h. ­Both IT and ­ILSE had ben­e­fi­cial ­effects on ­reducing the ­shoulder ­muscle sore­ness at ­Post-TM or ­Post-24 h.
Con­clu­sion. The find­ings of ­this ­study sug­gested ­that ­ILSE was the ­optimal ther­a­peutic ­measure ­against ­decreased ­shoulder ­strength or ­increased ­shoulder ­muscle sore­ness ­resulting ­from the repet­i­tive base­ball ­pitching.