Keeping shoulder injury-free in baseball

By Song Sang-ho

With the new baseball season starting, there are more and more people visiting ballparks.

With over 10,000 teams actively playing in amateur leagues and over a million fans showing up at games so far this year, baseball is the de facto most popular sport in Korea.

Baseball as a sport does not require much direct physical contact between players compared to soccer or basketball. It also does not require as much long-lasting strength or endurance. Because of that, the average age of baseball players is higher than other sports

Yet, there are risks of injuries while enjoying baseball and, indeed, many professional players suffer injuries.

The reason why baseball players are more prone to shoulder injuries has to do with anatomy.

Our shoulder consists of four joints, twelve ligaments and more than fifteen muscles and tendons. Being the most mobile joint covering a wide range of movements, it is at the same time open to higher risks of injury than other parts of the body.

According to a report by the Korea Baseball Organization, 63.4 percent of newly drafted pitchers every year either have experienced a shoulder pain or have gone through a surgical operation as a result of excessive training from their high school or college years.

A torn rotator cuff, a common shoulder injury, is mostly found in baseball players. Anatomically, the rotator cuff refers to a set of four tendons covering the shoulder which allows its rotation.

It is widely accepted that it can be torn when the rotator cuff, oftentimes already under weak conditions, is repeatedly scraped by the bones.

It is estimated to commonly occur to those involved in frequent arm-lifting motions.

Not only the athletes but average people can experience the injury through various outdoor activities. There are increasing numbers of people between age 20 and 40 falling victims.

The rotator cuff tear creates a severe pain in the beginning which tends to decrease with time.

This makes people believe the injury is naturally cured but in fact it’s getting worse, potentially leading to a complete tear of the rotator cuff.

One of three therapies — drug, physical or extracorporeal shock wave — are appropriate and effective in the early stages. When the condition aggravates, however, arthroscopic surgery will be necessary.

Arthroscopic surgery also known as “arthroscopy” is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed on the joint using an endoscopic camera and operation instruments which enable the examination and treatment simultaneously.

The patient and the patient guardians can observe the entire procedure on a video monitor. Arthroscopic surgery significantly reduces the recovery time and increases the surgical success rate.

Partial epidural anesthesia is administered in specialized clinics for shoulder injuries, allowing a focused operation on the particular spot with a minimal incision of a few millimeters.

The procedure produces a small amount of bleeding, pain and damage to the muscles and ligaments. It also produces hardly any scar. The operation lasts normally 30 to 60 minutes, and recovery between one and two days. Discharge from hospital is possible the next day.

If and when you feel pain in your shoulders, it is advised to see a doctor to check whether it could lead to injuries.

When a shoulder injury occurs in your action-packed outdoor life, please visit a clinic for quick and effective treatment.

A continued and bright future of your active life need not be hamstrung by a shoulder injury.

The writer is the president of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital.