We also asked them how they felt, how tired they were and how much pain they were in. вЂњThey push against it, and it gives us an objective measurement of strength. вЂњWe used a device called a dynamometer that allows us to test strength,вЂќ said Dr. These assessments were correlated with the pitchersвЂ™ reports of how they felt. In order to gauge fatigue, which relates to overuse injuries, the researchers measured the pitchersвЂ™ strength. They were each about to participate in a two- and three-day tournaments and scheduled to pitch each day of the tournaments. Smith and his colleagues recruited 100 athletes who were between 14 and 18 years old. вЂњMost donвЂ™t realize theyвЂ™re putting the pitcher at risk, but it turns out that the windmill style of pitching that girls use isnвЂ™t as safe as some might think.вЂќ вЂњBecause there arenвЂ™t as many pitchers on most softball teams as there are on baseball teams, coaches tend to вЂrideвЂ™ the ones who are successful,вЂќ he continued. вЂњThe idea that we should protect these softball pitchers hasnвЂ™t really caught on. вЂњThe dogma involving throwing athletes is that the underhand pitch is thought to be safer, but there have been biomechanical studies in recent years indicating that the stresses on the shoulder are very similar, regardless of whether one is pitching overhand or underhand,вЂќ said Matthew Smith, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University and one of the studyвЂ™s authors.

This research was published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Louis reports that research findings suggest softball pitchers show progressive pain, fatigue, and weakness relating to two- and three-day tournaments.

However, new research says the potential for overuse injuries in softball pitchers is a factor that may be overlooked.ДЄ news release from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Recent research suggests that the underhand throwing style used by softball pitchers is not as safe as previously thought.ДЄlthough there are strict pitch counts for baseball players, the standard thought has been that the underhand toss utilized by softball players is safer than the overhand form used in baseball.

5 elements of the underhand throw