Why does my Tricep hurt when I throw?
Pain in the tricep when throwing? Doesn’t seem to go away with ice or rest? In this blog, we will discuss the role of the tricep in throwing, why tricep pain can occur, and how we can fix it while building strength.
Triceps anatomy
The triceps is located on the back of the upper arm, and are responsible for straightening the forearm, and stabilization of the shoulder joint. The triceps is the opposing muscle to the bicep and has three heads. The long head of the triceps attaches at the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, near the bottom portion of the labrum. The medial head attaches to the back end of the humerus, While the lateral head attaches to the upper 1/3 of the humerus. All act in unison but the long head is the only one responsible for providing stability to the shoulder joint.
My Tricep is sore during throwing? (triceps role in throwing)
As we described in the early section the tricep’s role is to extend the forearm and add stability to the shoulder. In throwing it is the most active during 2 phases Late Cocking, and the Acceleration phase. The Late Cocking phase can be described as the time between initial foot contact and max external rotation of the arm. During this time the tricep is contracting to help extend the arm and build velocity behind the ball. The acceleration phase of pitching follows after the late cocking phase and can be described as the time between the end-range external rotation of the shoulder and ball release to the plate. During these two phases, the tricep works extremely hard to help create velocity and transfer energy generated from the ground to the ball.
Why is my tricep hurting
To get a better understanding of why your tricep is hurting an evaluation by a Sports physical therapist or orthopedic specialist is necessary. They will understand the role of the tricep and develop an individual plan to return back to the field. Below is a list of possible causes but is not a specific medical diagnosis.
Triceps tendonitis– an overuse injury that can be a result of a long season with overtraining/overthrowing. The tricep just like any other muscle of the body can become overloaded and begin to create pain, to help combat overthrowing here is a pitch count calculator created by the MLB.
Poor mechanics- Poor mechanics that are not repeatable and have poor arm action can create more stress on the elbow leading to tricep pain. A frequent cause is a pushing action of the elbow during throwing increasing elbow torque. An evaluation of pitching mechanics, by a specialist is necessary to get a better understanding.
Poor scapular strength- Part of the role of the long head of the tricep is to provide support to the shoulder girdle along with the rotator cuff and scapular muscles. If the scapular muscles and rotator cuff muscles are weak, we rely more on the biceps and triceps to provide stability to the arm.
How do I fix my tricep pain?
First, we have to accurately diagnose the cause of your tricep pain then we can develop an effective plan of care. The main rehab goals depending on the injury will vary. However, we always want to see a full range of motion of the elbow and shoulder, Isometric exercises (muscle contraction without movement), Eccentric contractions ( deceleration control), and lastly concentric strength and a return to throwing program using a driveline sensor as used at Essential Physical therapy and Performance to monitor work overload. There are also exercise examples that are beneficial to treating tricep and bicep pain on Dr. Jon Dailey’s Instagram.