Neck stiffness puts pitchers at risk of throwing-related injuries
The World Series is fast approaching, and the last thing any team or fan wants is to see a player scratched from the lineup because of an injury.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans know all too well the dangers of neck injuries for pitchers. This season, Edwin Díaz was sidelined for nearly a month with neck problems, following in the footsteps of former Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez, who was also removed with a stiff neck in the early 2000s. Dr. Laurie Devaney, head of the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, wondered if neck mobility might be a factor in pitching mechanics and potentially injury risk.
Her new study, published in the Journal of Athletic Training, found that college baseball pitchers with reduced neck mobility at the start of the season were more likely to report arm issues and sustain a throwing-related arm injury compared to those with better neck mobility. They also missed more days of play due to injury. While the exact mechanisms linking neck stiffness to injury risk are still unclear, Devaney suggests that neck stiffness could alter pitching mechanics, such as trunk rotation, which may increase injury risk.
The study involved 126 pitchers from seven collegiate teams, and the findings held true across different settings. Devaney is now collaborating with the Wake Forest Pitching Laboratory to further investigate the mechanisms and plan to study high school players to determine when this association first emerges. Understanding neck mobility's impact on overall body movement could also inform fall risk assessment in older adults.
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