Week 2 Garrett Nelson

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American Military University *

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Medicine

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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2

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Good afternoon! The muscular imbalance I want to discuss this week has to do with poor shoulder mobility and stability in baseball pitchers. Baseball is an example of a “one-sided” sport, with the same movement patterns being replicated countless times over the course of a full season. In Major League Baseball, seasons last for 162 games, not counting spring training and the post season, which can lead to a one-sided imbalance due to the patterns being replicated. Think of a pitcher throwing. The same muscles are being stressed in the front side leg and hip as the pitcher’s torso rotates around the front leg extension. The pitchers throwing arm, especially the scapular and shoulder areas, are stressed almost daily due to the overhand throwing motion. This repeat stress can lead to imbalances and can often lead to injuries and decreased performance (Kennedy et al., 2009). Muscles commonly affected by this stress include the upper and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, as well as the anterior structures of the shoulder and the rotator cuff. To combat these imbalances, I would use all three forms of flexibility training: corrective flexibility, active flexibility, and functional flexibility. For corrective flexibility the focus would be on static stretching, to improve soft-tissue extensibility. Specific examples of static stretching include the crossover stretch and sleeper stretch, to improve range of motion and hopefully prevent injury (2022). Active flexibility dynamically moves the joint through a full range of motion, and I’d use this at the start of the warmup prior to practice or game situations. This type of stretching warms up the muscles and allows the athlete to work through the full range of motion. An example of active stretching for a pitcher would be banded warmups prior to a throwing routine, such as internal and external banded rotations. The last form, functional flexibility, focuses on neuromuscular control throughout the full range of motion. Dynamic stretching is an example of functional flexibility and should be used to warm up prior to workouts (McGill & Montel, 2018, p. 180). For pitchers, ensuring the shoulder joint is warmed up through its full ROM is important, but it’s also important to add in total motor unit recruitment and synchronization (Deangelo, 2023). Examples of dynamic stretching include arm swings, arm circles, lunges with a twist, high leg kicks, and lunges with shoulder rotation. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2022, June 1). Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Conditioning Program . OrthoInfo. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/rotator-cuff-and-shoulder-conditioning-program/ Deangelo, R. (2023, January 1). Dynamic Warm-Up for Baseball Players . UPMC: Life Changing Medicine. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-medicine/for-athletes/baseball/education- material/dynamic-warm-up
Kennedy, D. J., Visco, C. J., & Press, J. (2009). Current concepts for shoulder training in the overhead athlete. Current sports medicine reports , 8 (3), 154–160. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e3181a64607 McGill, E., & Montel, I. (2018). NASM Essentials of Sports Performance Training (2nd ed., p. 180). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://myclassroom.apus.edu/content/enforced/124767-727525/PES%202nd %20Edition%20Chapter%204.pdf
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