Three Keys for Proper Use of Bands to Help Avoid Arm Pain in Overhead Athletes

With Major League Baseball starting up and youth baseball and softball in full swing, I thought it would be timely to provide a review of the resistance band exercises that have become an increasingly popular part of warm ups in baseball and softball.  Unfortunately, when we treat youth athletes in our physical therapy clinic and review their band exercises with them, we often see that they are performing them improperly.  Here are three simple tips to ensure that your ball player is using the bands properly to help improve performance and reduce the likelihood of injury.

Key #1- Proper Posture

When performing band exercises, maintain proper posture.  The shoulder is a ball and socket joint and you want to try to keep that ball centered in the socket.  When you slouch forward, the ball sits forward in the socket, a position that leads to many shoulder and elbow related injuries.  

Key #2- Slow Down

The tempo of these exercises is important as well.  We often see athletes move way too quickly through their band exercises.  When using bands for warm ups, you are trying to warm the body up by promoting blood flow to the muscles, and to prime proper movement patterns used for throwing.  When you speed through the exercises, you will likely compensate around the muscles you are trying to target and resort to poor movement patterns.  Use a 2-2-3 tempo:  Push or pull the band for a 2 count.  Then, hold for a 2 count at the end of the range of motion.  Finally, slowly return to a starting position with a 3 count.  This tempo helps ensure you are not moving too fast through your exercises.

Key #3- Don’t Overdo It

Working to the point of fatigue is another common problem we see with athletes using bands for warm ups.  Again, you want to warm up muscles, not work them to the point of fatigue.  One set of 10-15 repetitions of 5-6 exercises should be plenty to get the muscles warm.  Higher repetitions will likely lead to muscle fatigue and can leave you more likely to be injured.

These keys will help you get the most out of your pregame or pre practice warm up.  At Complete Game Physical Therapy, we specialize in treatment of overhead athletes following injury and also work with athletes to reduce their likelihood for injury through movement screens and 3D motion analysis.  For more information contact Greg at gcrossman@completegamept.com or call us at 978-710-7204.