Effects of Repetitive Pitching on Trunk Muscle Endurance and Thoracic and Shoulder Kinematics.
Takuya Aso, Yoshinori Kagaya
PMID 37020436WHAT IT FOUND
After 135 maximum-effort throws, trunk endurance fell in 12 recreational baseball players, and shoulder horizontal adduction at maximum external rotation decreased slightly.
The study did not show these changes cause injury.
Key findings
01After 135 maximum-effort throws, trunk flexor, extensor, and lateral flexor endurance on both sides were significantly lower.
02Shoulder horizontal adduction at maximum external rotation was lower in the seventh and ninth innings than in the first inning.
03Thoracic rotation at stride foot contact was significantly lower in the eighth inning than in the first inning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 12 healthy male recreational baseball players were studied, so the findings may not apply to injured, female, or higher-level pitchers. The authors state the trunk endurance test could not deny subjectivity. The authors state throwing motion was assessed only during specific innings, not every inning. The authors state the observed kinematic changes do not have therapeutic relevance because no reports demonstrate a connection between those changes and shoulder injury. The study measured trunk endurance and motion-analysis angles, not shoulder injury or pain outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pitching causes shoulder injury or that trunk endurance training will prevent injury. The study measured 12 healthy recreational baseball players after a throwing task and did not show that the observed endurance or kinematic changes are linked to injury.