Signs You Need a Massage & Why You Should Listen to Your Body

Every spring, as baseball and fastpitch athletes transition from training to competition, we see a predictable rise in shoulder and elbow injuries.

The cause is rarely one single event. More often, it’s the result of a sudden increase in throwing volume and intensity as athletes move from structured off-season programs into the demands of games.

While off-season training continues to evolve — with improved strength programs, conditioning, and workload monitoring — competition introduces stresses that are difficult to fully replicate in a gym environment. Games require higher intensity, shorter recovery windows, unpredictable scenarios, and repeated maximal efforts.

For the throwing arm, that combination can be the tipping point.

Throwing Is a Full-Body Movement

Clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth

It’s easy to focus on the arm when discussing throwing injuries. Though it is often the weakest – and most unstable – it is a link in a much larger system.

Throwing is a coordinated, full-body action that depends on the kinetic chain: the transfer of force from the ground up through the ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulder, and elbow. When each segment contributes efficiently, athletes can generate high levels of force — often up to 100 maximum intensity throws over a 2–3 hour game.

When one link in the chain isn’t functioning optimally, other areas — most commonly the shoulder and elbow — are forced to compensate. Over time, repeated compensation increases tissue stress and raises the likelihood of breakdown and injury.

Mobility Deficits: The Hidden Risk Factor

Mechanical adjustments can improve efficiency and performance. However, focusing solely on mechanics may overlook a critical contributor to injury risk: mobility.

A common example is hip mobility. Research shows that even a 5-degree difference in hip internal rotation between limbs can increase the risk of core and abdominal injuries in baseball pitchers and hitters. That limitation may present as altered mechanics or decreased velocity, but the root issue — restricted mobility — often goes unaddressed.

Too often, the solution becomes rest or time away from throwing, followed by a return to play without a structured progression.

Pre-season mobility screening by a physiotherapist or healthcare professional allows these deficits to be identified early. This supports individualized warm-ups, targeted mobility work, throwing preparation, and a safer ramp-up into competitive play.

Strength Deficits: More Than Just “Lifting Heavy”

When we talk about strength in throwers, we’re not referring to how much weight they can lift.

The smaller stabilizing muscles of the shoulder — particularly the rotator cuff — play a crucial protective role during high-volume throwing. The demands on the shoulder are extreme:

Shoulder rotation speeds can reach up to 7,000 degrees per second
Distraction forces at ball release in overhead pitching can approach 100-120% of an athlete’s body weight

Objective tools, such as a dynamometer, allow us to measure rotator cuff strength and normalize it to body weight. This provides valuable insight into an athlete’s readiness at the start of the season and establishes a benchmark for in-season maintenance and monitoring.

As fatigue accumulates over a long season, maintaining shoulder strength becomes even more important. Keeping rotator cuff strength within 10% of pre-season values — alongside individualized whole-body warm-up and arm care routines— can significantly reduce injury risk.

The Role of Physiotherapy in a Healthy Season

Physiotherapy is not just about treating injuries after they occur.

By evaluating mobility, strength, movement quality, and workload patterns, we can identify risk factors before they develop into time-loss injuries. A proactive approach includes:

Pre-season mobility and strength screening
Individualized throwing preparation programs
Structured return-to-throw progressions
In-season strength monitoring
Whole-body warm-up and recovery planning

When the body functions as an integrated system, performance improves — and injury risk decreases.

Preparing for the Season

If you’re heading into baseball or fastpitch season, consider a pre-season physiotherapy assessment. Identifying mobility restrictions or strength imbalances early allows for targeted intervention and a safer transition into competition.

A proactive plan can make the difference between sitting out games — and staying on the field all season long.