By Peyton Mayberry, LAT, ATC

Have you ever paid attention to the number of times a volleyball player swings to hit the ball during a volleyball match? The repetitive motion of a hitter hitting the ball over the net is a sight to see. In volleyball, one team member is the outside hitter and is referred to as the “go-to” attacker. With a name like that, you can imagine the repetitive overuse the outside hitter’s shoulder endures in a season. In a months-long, high-intensity volleyball season, an outside hitter will take up to 11,000 swings. In a game, this same player may take around 30-50 powerful swings.

In that same repetitive thread, a typical industrial athlete working in a manufacturing or assembly role will have up to 1,500 repetitive overhead movements in a shift. In some specialized tasks, like electricians or construction workers, 18% of those 1,500 movements are spent with the shoulder being elevated over 60°. While industrial athletes are not putting their full effort into every single overhead movement like a volleyball player does, the repetition can really cause some serious wear and tear to the body, especially to the shoulders.

Behind The Serve

Shoulders are a complex joint, set up like a golf ball on a tee and are surrounded by ligaments and muscles that all work together to keep the golf ball on the tee. Repetitive overhead movements can really take a toll on those muscles and ligaments as they work together to keep the shoulder in place.

Dig Into Prevention

Wear and tear is bound to happen right? But, what if there were ways to prevent it from happening so quickly? One way to combat these injuries is a good prevention program. Thankfully you have a team of Injury Prevention Specialists onsite to help you with this! Did you know you can see the Green Team onsite even before you have an injury? Prevention is the name of our game. Any way we can establish a program to set up your body to be more PREPARED for the tasks at work, is a challenge we always accept! For the shoulders, check out these exercises that help build up the ligaments and muscles that are responsible for keeping them healthy, strong, and ready for another 1,500 movements.

Ace At Work

Another way to prevent shoulder overuse injuries from happening is to utilize two principles from PREPARED: [R] Remain in the Green Zone and [E] Elbows In and Thumbs Up when reaching overhead. Staying in the Green Zone encourages your body to work in a “safer” zone which saves you from preventable daily wear and tear. Keeping elbows in and thumbs up when reaching keeps your shoulder in a better position and reduces overuse to ligaments and muscles that are already being used so much throughout the day.

What Would A Volleyball Player Do?

Just like volleyball players have shoulder strengthening programs and form correction to prevent their shoulders from injury, you can do the same by applying small changes to the repetitive motions of your repetitive job.

Peyton Mayberry, LAT, ATC || Peyton is a certified Athletic Trainer in Decatur, IL. She graduated from Millikin University before transplanting to Tanzania for two months. Upon her return to the States, she began her first full time athletic training job with Work Right. In her free time she enjoys exercising, volunteering, reading, and traveling with her husband, Nic!

---

Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right!