Fauquier Health Hosts Presentation on Pitching Injuries

 

Bruce Edwards, physical therapist at Fauquier Health

Bruce Edwards, physical therapist, will present a lecture on baseball pitching injuries on Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. The presentation will take place in Fauquier Hospital’s Sycamore Room. Parents and coaches of young athletes are invited.

To register, please call 540-316-3588.

Edwards says that the easiest way to treat a sports injury is to prevent it. Overuse injuries are common but preventable, and pitching injuries are good examples. Whether athletes are throwing too many pitches, or the wrong kind of pitches for their stage of development, the result is pain. In young pitchers, overuse of the pitching arm can even cause fractures of the growth plate—a significant and potentially long-term injury.

Craig Boyd was a pitcher for Liberty High School’s baseball team. When he was a sophomore, he threw 135 pitches in one game and began to experience sharp elbow pain. “My doctor said that I had tears in my tendon. I had 10 weeks of physical therapy at Fauquier Health before I was pain-free. I used resistance bands, stretches and a lot of ice. They told me it would
take rest and time, but it did heal.”

“Pitching for baseball and softball use very different motions, but they both put the same kind of stress on young shoulders and elbows,” says Edwards.

Physical Therapy Helps Kids Get Back in the Game 

Between sports and everyday activities, middle school and high school students experience a wide variety of injuries, including sprains, strains, tendonitis, stress fractures, concussions, overuse injuries and more.
 

Physical therapists create individualized treatment plans based on each patient’s needs and goals. They use different techniques such as massage, ultrasound and therapeutic exercise.
Physical therapists can also help young athletes with sport-specific skills to strengthen their form and prevent injury in the future.