A dead arm is a technical term in baseball and other sports that describes a disabled throwing shoulder. This is where the player cannot tolerate throwing anything because of his pathological shoulder condition that caused him great pain. Dead arm usually comes during the acceleration phase, wherein the player attempts to move his arm forward but feels a sudden pain. This will lead for the arm to go dead and ineffective, thus, is no longer useful enough to throw the ball.
The Causes of the Dead Arm
This phenomenon often happens in athletes caused by calcification in ball and socket joints, extreme fatigue, bone spurs, and other psychological factors. Whatever that hurts the body is connected to the brain, but in some cases, it is more on being psychologically unstable. Repetitive backward throwing position causes an overstretched on the arm that leads to a dead arm. If the arm is excessively stretched, then the shoulder ball will forward that creates an impingement in the shoulder joints. However, researchers found out that a dead arm is more related to Superior Labral tear from Anterior to Posterior, a lesion that tears the labrum apart.
How Will the Player Know if it’s a Dead Arm?
The player has to assess his condition by lying down and he has to position his arms at 90 degrees, keeping his trunk and elbow on the same angle. If the player should keep his shoulder stable, then he should allow his forearm to drop forward. At the same time, the player will experience great pain when moving his shoulder and arm forward to throw.
Percentage of Having a Dead Arm
This condition is possible to all players, who have gone through strenuous activities of overworking their arm muscles. In a baseball player’s case, he should learn how to relax his arms first before he throws a ball, so it would not lead to a dead arm or anything that may hinder him to play. Somehow, only 38% of the baseball players have experienced this condition, yet afterward recovered because of regular consultation and maintenance and proper exercise.