Ace of the Rotation
by Scott Lockard, LAT, ATC
It’s baseball season and while a major league pitcher and an industrial athlete may seem to have little in common, they both heavily rely on the health of their shoulders and elbows. Both occupations involve repetitive, high-stress motions that, without proper care, lead to chronic overuse injurieslike rotator cuff tears, tendinitis, and ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprains. Understanding these similarities is key to implementing effective injury prevention strategies.
Every Pitch Counts
Baseball pitchers engage in explosive overhead throwing, placing immense stress on the inside of the elbow. This is one reason teams keep track of their pitch count or give players a rest day. Industrial athletes (such as assembly line workers, electricians, or mechanics) often perform repetitive reaching, lifting, or overhead pushing, leading to similar fatigue in the rotator cuff muscles.
In both fields, failure to manage workload, throwing too many pitches, or lifting too many heavy items without rest, is the leading cause of injury. Injury prevention for both requires monitoring volume and allowing tissue recovery to prevent overuse injuries like thrower’s shoulder, lateral or medial epicondylitis.
From Legs to Release
A crucial similarity between baseball pitchers and industrial athletes is that an injury often occurs in the shoulder or elbow, but the cause is poor engagement of the rest of the body. Pitchers are taught to use their legs and core to generate power, reducing stress on the arm.
Similarly, industrial workers must use proper body mechanics, lifting with their legs and engaging their core rather than relying solely on shoulder and arm strength. A weak core or dysfunctional shoulder blade causes the arm to overcompensate in both sports and industrial work, which can lead to breakdown and injury.
Train Like a Cy Young Winner
Preventative measures for baseball players, such as dynamic warm-ups, rotator cuff strengthening with resistance bands, and scapular stabilization exercises, are directly applicable to industrial athletes.
- Dynamic Warm-ups: Warm up muscles before activity to increase blood flow to the tendons, rather than using static stretching.
- Strengthening: Focusing on the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles (like scapular retraction) protects against injuries in both contexts.
- Mobility: Increase flexibility of the muscles and tendons for optimal function and efficiency. Try our Pitch Perfect Mobility Program!
- Recovery: Both types of athletes benefit from post-work icing and flexibility routines to decrease any discomfort and maintain range of motion.
Ultimately, both baseball and industrial work demands arm care. By treating industrial work as an athletic endeavor and focusing on mechanics, strengthening, and workload management, injury rates can be significantly reduced.
Scott Lockard, LAT, ATC || Born and raised in Iowa, Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Science from The University of Northern Iowa where he also attended graduate school for Advanced Athletic Training. He worked in the clinic/outreach setting for 16 years prior to a change into the industrial setting. In his free time, Scott enjoys time with family and friends, kayak fishing, playing golf, hiking, and DIY projects.
Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right!