What Are the Benefits of Sports Physiotherapy in Baseball?
Sports activities, such as baseball, cause wear and tear to your joints. They also carry a risk of injury and put stress on your body. Nutrition and training may not be enough to keep you injury-free and improve your performance. This is where physical therapy comes in.
In fact, professional baseball players start the season with a physiotherapy assessment. They also have their own physiotherapists to ensure they’re ready for the game. This practice can help prevent chronic repetitive injuries and treat them in early stages.
Eager to find out more? Let’s take a look at the benefits of sports physiotherapy in baseball:
Improves Muscle and Joint Flexibility
Baseball requires flexibility and range of motion. If your joints are stiff or have reduced mobility, you cannot perform at your best. Plus, this puts you at risk for injury.
Physical therapy can help enhance your flexibility, leading to improved sports performance. This practice involves a variety of exercises that address both static and dynamic flexibility. Knees-to-chest, quadriceps stretches, and hamstring stretches are just a few to mention.
Enhances Baseball Conditioning
Baseball players engage in complex movements like running, throwing, and batting, which involve the whole body. These motions place strain on the joints of the knee, shoulders, and elbows. Without proper conditioning, they may lead to injuries.
A sports physiotherapist can recommend exercises that improve conditioning so you can perform at your best. He can show you what muscles to target, how to use good form, and how to structure your training program. A typical exercise plan may include hamstring curls, lunges, squats, torso rotations, plans, wrist rolls, bicep curls, and more.
Treats Baseball Injuries
This team sport is characterized by a repetitive set of movements. Therefore, it carries a high risk of overuse injuries, such as tears and sprains of the ligaments finger fractures, tendonitis, tennis elbow, and bursitis.
During a fast baseball pitch, the shoulder rotates at 12,000 degrees per second, so it’s no wonder why injuries are so common. A physiotherapist can help you prevent injury and recover faster when dealing with one.
He will use sports massage, acupuncture, cupping, and other techniques that speed up healing and restore your mobility. If you’ve had an injury in the past, he will assess your physical condition and recommend exercises that strengthen your weakest muscles and joints.