Sleeper stretch accelerates recovery of glenohumeral internal rotation after pitching

Background: The natural time course for recovery of glenohumeral internal rotation (IR) loss after a throwing episode is unknown. In addition, the effect of the sleeper stretch on the time course for recovery of motion after a throwing episode has never been investigated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) to determine the natural time course for spontaneous recovery of IR after a throwing episode and (2) to evaluate the effect of the sleeper stretch on the time course for recovery of IR after a throwing episode. Methods: The study participants were 17 male high school baseball pitchers (aged 17.7 +/- 0.9 years). A crossover designed was used over a 2-week period. For week 1, glenohumeral IR and external rotation (ER) were evaluated in the dominant shoulder 1 day before a throwing episode and at 2 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, and 5 days after pitching. During week 2, participants completed a sleeper stretch protocol before measurements. Results: The natural time course of spontaneous recovery for IR after a throwing episode was 4 days. Stretching reduced the time course of recovery for IR to 2 days. Conclusion: A sleeper stretch program for high school baseball pitchers can accelerate the recovery of commonly observed IR loss and also may mitigate the cumulative effects observed over the course of a season. (C) 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.