The Biomechanics of Overhead Throwing Sports Skills

Overhead throwing is a complex motion that involves contributions of the full body, often referred to as the kinematic chain. The act of overhead throwing is injury prone and strongly associated with shoulder- and elbow injuries in baseball pitching, for example. What exactly a proper throwing technique is has been a subject of debate. Obviously, a proper technique leads to a high level of performance and minimizes injury risk. How to define the proper technique is, however, extremely complicated and related to the probable cause of the injury. The proper technique could lead to a relatively lower load on a structure at risk, while at a peak performance level, and/or could lead to smaller variations in the load of a structure at risk and thus reduce the chance of exceeding a structure’s load capacity.

To define the proper technique, the precise biomechanics of the motion should be known, including the loads, the variations therein, and the failure mechanisms of anatomical structures. Alternatively, long-term, longitudinal studies should be performed that statistically link technique (in terms of variation and exposure) to performance and injury. As such, cross-sectional studies comparing groups are unlikely to lead to enhanced insight.

This Research Topic aims to collect contributions that give insight into the biomechanics of the throw. It is preferable that contributions do not study the upper extremity in isolation and look at the kinematic chain or power flow. Also, contributions are sought that link segment kinematics and kinetics to internal structure loads, and as such attempt to elucidate when traumas are likely to occur. As the relationship between technique and injury is extremely difficult to find in between-subjects research approaches, we encourage the submission of publications that use within-subject paradigms. Lastly, statistical associations between biomechanics and performance or injury are also within the scope of this Research Topic.