Athletico Health Resources

Baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, volleyball and tennis players all use overhead throwing in their sports. These athletes require power and strength for overhead positions in their dominant extremity.

With many sports currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a great time for athletes to consider cross-training. It has been shown to be beneficial for overhead athletes to participate in more than one sport due to the benefits of cross training. However, many young athletes are specializing in one sport for more than nine months of the year. In order to reduce the risk of injury from repetitive motions, such as overhead throwing, athletes should incorporate cross training into their routines.

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Some discomfort in the throwing arm is common after a pitching session. After all, consistent overhead throwing is hard on the shoulder and elbow. But what is normal discomfort? What pains should be concerning to baseball/softball athletes? What pains should be examined by a professional? Find out more with the guide below:

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Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger, Judy Micek, OT at Athletico Bolingbrook.

Calling all couch potatoes…Spring is here and with it warm weather sports. With sportsmanship and exercise as great benefits of team sports, many Chicagoans are anxiously awaiting the return of softball season. However, catching that 16” softball can lead to some painful finger injuries or wrist injuries from sliding into base, that shouldn’t be ignored…and they may need more than just ice and rest! (more…)

Whether you’re at home training or returning to play with your team, there’s no doubt that athletes put a significant amount of time and energy into their favorite sport. For the athletes involved at all levels, this means an increased demand on their bodies. During the average soccer game, a player could run up to 5 miles. Double headers can mean up to 7-8 hours in the field. I think it goes without saying, if you are not putting the right fuel in your body, it would be pretty easy to run out of gas. (more…)

It’s baseball and softball season and that means three things to me as an athletic trainer: hot dogs, bleachers and shoulder pain. While all three of those cause discomfort in their own way, I find shoulder pain to be the most pertinent to be addressed by my skill set. I’ve found that a majority of shoulder pain stems from a few of the following avoidable mistakes made by overhead athletes. (more…)