Study Design: A bilateral comparison of strength and range of motion testing in professional baseball pitchers. Objective: We studied 39 professional male baseball pitchers to determine if the shoulder used for throwing was weaker or had less passive range of motion, compared to the nondominant arm. Background: Shoulder muscle weakness has been proposed as a possible risk factor for developing injury. Therefore, objective quantification of the strength of glenohumeral and scapular rotator muscle groups should be studied in a population of professional baseball pitchers. Methods and Measures: Passive internal and external range of motion was bilaterally measured at 90° of abduction. Muscle strength of the following muscles was measured bilaterally with a hand-held dynamometer: external and internal glenohumeral rotators, supraspinatus, middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior. Results: Passive external rotation of the glenohumeral joint at 90° of abduction on the pitching side was significantly greater than on the nonpitching side. Passive internal rotation range of motion on the nonpitching side was significantly greater than on the pitching side. The pitching arm's internal rotators, when tested in abduction, were significantly stronger than the nonpitching arm. The nonpitching arm's external rotators in the plane of the scapula, and in abduction, were significantly greater than those of the pitching arm. The pitching arm's middle and lower trapezius muscles were significantly stronger than those of the nonpitching arm. Conclusion: The range of motion and strength characteristics measured in this study can assist clinicians in evaluating athletes who use overhead throwing motions.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2000;30(9):544-551.

Key Words: professional baseball pitchers, rotator cuff strength, scapular muscle strength

Study Design: Observational study of static and dynamic foot postures in professional baseball players. Background: Throughout the course of a professional baseball season, running, cutting, and sprinting activities can produce a breakdown in players' foot function, causing overuse injuries. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between static and dynamic foot postures; to determine the occurrence of abnormal foot postures in professional baseball players and the incidence of overuse injuries in the lower extremity; and to compare the foot postures of pitchers to those of positional players. Methods and Measures: The foot postures of 74 professional baseball players were evaluated at rest and during gait. Measures of static foot posture were obtained with a goniometer and included the subtalar neutral position, forefoot/rearfoot position, ankle joint dorsiflexion, tibial angle in standing, and calcaneal angle in standing. The FootTrak motion analysis system provided measures of dynamic foot posture (rearfoot supination and pronation) during the stance phase of gait. A questionnaire was completed by players who reported previous lower extremity injuries. The chi-square statistic was used to determine the associations between forefoot position (varus or valgus) and the amount of foot pronation during gait. Results: The forefoot varus and calcaneal valgus in standing was significantly associated with the maximum pronation during the stance phase of gait. Of the 65 players who demonstrated excessive pronation (> 8 degrees), 28 (43%) also reported a previous lower extremity injury. No statistically significant difference occurred, however, between injured and uninjured players with respect to the mean values of static or dynamic foot posture. In addition, foot postures were not associated with a player's position. Conclusions: Selected measures of static rearfoot and forefoot postures may have value in predicting dynamic rearfoot movement during the stance phase of gait. Excessive pronation in the baseball players we studied was not found to be a significant contributing factor in the development of overuse injuries.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1999;29(6):316-330.

Key Words: forefoot varus, abnormal pronation, foot postures