This week on WJON’s Health Matters program I talked with Physical Therapy Manager Brittney Braegelmann from Rejuv Medical. We discussed common spring injuries and how to treat and in some cases avoid them all together. Brittney says arm, shoulder and elbow injuries are common in the sport of baseball especially with pitchers. She says a plan to ease into the throwing season starting weeks before the start of the season can help those individuals trying to avoid these injuries.

Baseball injuries aren’t the only injuries that take place each spring. Other common injuries include tennis, pickleball and golf elbow. Tennis and pickleball elbow injuries cause pain to the outside of the elbow while golf elbow impacts the inside. Braegelmann says rest and physical therapy are treatments for these things. Repetitive movements doing the same thing without proper stretching or increased flexibility to lead to these issues. Braegelmann says yoga can help with flexibility and limit the impact of a variety of strained ligaments and muscles.

Running injuries also occur in the spring. Brittney says they can analyze how a person runs to determine if they are running in a way that will prevent injury. She says footwear can also play a role in running injuries. Other spring injuries can include ankle and knee trouble. I asked Brittney if some people are injury prone? She said that yes, some have a body makeup that leads them to injuries more often. An example would be narrow ankles that can lead to more sprains.

Source: WJON