Welcome to Training Room. The Striker Texas is partnering with Austin Sports Medicine for a new series on injury prevention. Stay tuned for more videos and articles detailing various injuries and exercises, explained by Austin soccer legend Sonny Guadarrama and the team at Austin Sports Medicine.
Rotator cuff injuries may not get as much attention on the soccer pitch, but goalkeepers are at increased risk of overuse injuries without proper maintenance and strength work.
Dr. Nathan Breazeale of Austin Sports Medicine describes the rotator cuff as "a small group of muscles and tendons around the shoulder that hug tightly to the shoulder, and basically position the arm in space while either your big muscles are working or your hand is working."
There are two main types of injuries that can occur to the rotator cuff: a repetitive, overuse injury, or a traumatic event.
Repetitive overuse injuries can be caused by blocking overhead shots on goal, or repeated overhead throwing, whether from the goalkeeper or another player doing a lot of throw-ins.
A traumatic event that injures the rotator cuff could happen when a player dives on a goalie's outstretched arm, or a player falls during the course of play.
Overuse injuries are slow to develop and slow to recovery, according to Dr. Breazeale. Players are instructed to modify activity while working with a physical therapist to get their full strength and functionality back. The only way to prevent overuse injuries is through maintenance strength work; the stronger your shoulder and rotator cuffs are, the more you can reduce susceptibility to fatigue and thus, injury.