Injury Prevention for Summer Sports
Leave a CommentSummer sports are in full swing! Baseball and softball seasons are thriving, and off-season prep for fall sports like football, cross country, and volleyball is ramping up. With how busy youth athletics have become, many young athletes juggle multiple teams and training programs throughout the summer. While this high activity level can be exciting and rewarding, it also increases the risk for overuse injuries. Taking proactive steps toward injury prevention is more important than ever.
While summer sports are often associated with baseball and softball, the injury prevention strategies outlined here apply across many sports. In particular, lower body and core exercises can benefit football, volleyball, and cross-country athletes, while upper body training benefits overhead athletes.
Injury patterns differ slightly between sports. Youth baseball players often experience elbow, shoulder, and lower back issues. While these areas are still at risk in softball, reported injuries tend to lean more toward general sprains and strains. Let’s break down some simple, effective ways to reduce injury risk by targeting specific body regions:
Elbow: Build Resilience Through Forearm Strengthening
- Key exercises: Wrist curls, wrist extensions, bicep curls, and triceps extensions.
- Why it matters: Most elbow injuries stem from faulty throwing mechanics or muscle imbalances—not direct trauma. Strengthening the muscles around the elbow can help reduce stress during repetitive throwing motions.
Shoulder: Stabilize and Strengthen the Throwing Arm
- Recommended program: The Thrower’s Ten program, developed by Kevin Wilk and Dr. James Andrews, is a gold standard for overhead athletes3.
- Additional exercises: Rows and pull-ups are excellent for building upper back and scapular strength, which supports shoulder stability.
Core & Lower Body: Strength from the Ground Up
- These regions work in tandem, especially in sports involving rotation and running.
- Essential movements: Squats, Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs), front and side planks, and single-leg exercises like step-ups or lunges.
- Why it matters: A strong lower body and core provide a solid foundation for athletic movement, help distribute load more evenly and reduce compensation injuries.
Summer injuries are becoming more common due to the growing demand of travel sports and multi-sport participation. The good news is that a well-rounded injury prevention routine can help athletes stay healthy and perform their best all season long.
If you’re unsure where to start, Athletico is here to help. Schedule a free assessment with one of our experts! Our clinicians specialize in working with overhead athletes and developing customized injury prevention plans. Let’s make this summer your strongest one yet!
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8689631/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10383147/
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8637269/#sec3
