What a flash the last few months have been! From continuing education courses, hosting local university sports teams for analyses, and attending a national conference the WPI team has been very busy.
Early last month our very own Carter Hoffman PT, DPT, CSCS, team lead for the VELO Program (Velocity Enhancement and Long-term Optimization), gave an engaging keynote presentation at the Noraxon USA annual User’s Group Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Carter’s presentation and technical workshop focused on what he is truly passionate about in his practice: rotational movement. In particular, the throwing/pitching motion.
Why is this important?
The unfortunate reality is that many throwers will experience arm pain at some point in their playing career; 7 out of 10 to be exact. To Carter, and the rest of the pros at the WPI, that is both an astonishing and unacceptable statistic. It’s also a big reason why he is so passionate about this group of people.
How can Carter help?
In his clinical practice at the WPI, Carter has found that many throwing-related injuries occur in three, out of the six, distinct phases of the throwing motion:
- Windup
- Early Cocking
- Late Cocking
- Acceleration
- Deceleration
- Follow Through
Controlling your body and its movement during these phases is very important. If you’re not moving properly, stress will ultimately build up in the shoulder or elbow, resulting in pain.
With the help of technology from Noraxon, he is able to watch a virtual avatar of an athlete throwing in slow motion. This allows him to better see their sequencing, identify mechanical breakdowns, and understand what is leading to stress building up in the body.
With this information, Carter can then more accurately test strength, flexibility, and movement capacity to design a treatment program that is 100% tailored to the individual in front of him.
Baseball pitchers, softball pitchers, and position players alike continue to see overwhelming improvements in their pain, accuracy, and throwing velocity as a result of working at the WPI with Carter.
My arm hurts while throwing, how do I get help?
Schedule a throwing analysis! An analysis takes 90 minutes to complete and will uncover the true reason WHY you’re experiencing pain. Follow-up sessions to address what is found are scheduled for 45 minutes each. All you will need to bring to your analysis are athletic shorts, a t-shirt, athletic shoes, and your glove.
If you or someone you know are serious about decreasing arm pain and improving your performance, contact us today to schedule your throwing analysis. We’ll get back in the game, better than ever.
