Are you experiencing pain and decreased strength as an overhand athlete? This could mean you are suffering from dead arm syndrome, which is common among baseball, volleyball, and tennis players. Dead arm syndrome is the pain experienced during a throwing motion and leads to decreased velocity. Our orthopedist on the UES has great experience treating dead arm syndrome and is ready to assist you in getting back to your sport. Keep reading to learn more.
Dead Arm Syndrome
Dead arm syndrome typically involves the rotator cuff tendons or the labrum. The supraspinatus tendon is most commonly injured in the group of four muscles in the rotator cuff. The labrum is a cartilaginous structure surrounding the shoulder socket; it acts as a bumper to prevent shoulder dislocation. Throwing and other overhand motions place great force on the shoulder joint. The labrum and rotator cuff work to keep stability in the arm and disperse the created force.
An injury to either of these structures will make it hard to perform overhand motions as an athlete. Dead arm syndrome has multiple causes, including the player compensating for current problems to minimize the discomfort that develops in the shoulders and small tears in ligaments caused by overuse of the shoulder. Repeated movements, like throwing, can stretch the ligaments in your shoulder, which forces them to become looser and develop discomfort and instability in the shoulder. Symptoms of dead arm syndrome include:
- Numbness
- Decreased strength
- Decreased throwing speed
- Fatigue
How to Prevent Dead Arm Syndrome
Our orthopedist on the UES knows that shoulder injuries of overhand athletes can be challenging to recover from and potentially negatively impact the athlete’s career. As a high-level athlete, it may be difficult to avoid overusing your shoulder, but by taking correct care of your shoulder, you are at a lower risk of developing dead arm syndrome. Some things you can do to lower your risk of dead arm syndrome are:
- Stretching: Follow a stretching routine designed for your sport. Stretching before and after activity decreases your risk of injury and improves your range of motion.
- Rest: Resting your body after intense exercise helps rebuild strength and decrease fatigue. A lack of rest can cause decreased performance ability to react and think.
- Use the correct technique: Using the correct technique for the overhand motion in your sport is crucial to preventing injuries. Using improper techniques is dangerous for your muscles and ligaments, which is why learning the correct technique is important.
- Strength and Conditioning Exercises: Strength training and conditioning of your shoulders, upper back, and core muscles improves shoulder stability and decreases the risk of injuries.
To learn more about ways to prevent dead arm syndrome, click here.
Treatment of Dead Arm Syndrome
Treatment of dead arm syndrome is designed to improve the strength and stability of your shoulder. The type of treatment you receive depends on how bad your injury is and how often you perform overhead motions for your sport. Treatment may include the following:
- Rest: By resting your shoulder, you are decreasing the risk of the injury becoming worse.
- Physical Therapy: By seeing a physical therapist, they will show you how to perform shoulder strengthening exercises.
- Ice and Pain Medications: Applying ice and taking pain medications can ease your shoulder pain.
- Surgery: If conservative treatments don’t work for a patient, surgery is a viable option. This surgery is performed arthroscopically on an outpatient basis. If the patient has a torn labrum, the labrum is repaired arthroscopically.