Nick Punto is not a happy fellow. He finally makes it into the normal rotation of players with the Cardinals and he ends up hurt. He’s got a strained forearm and it’s got him a little down:
To be out there playing a little bit timid, I think that was the red flag for the medical staff. I was worried about my next hard throw.
Bummer.
We know about forearms here The Disabled List. Still, it seems like unless it is broken, you can do something to prevent forearm injuries. Yep, you can.
Here are the top three things to do to prevent forearm injuries:
Strength training: The number one thing you can do by far is strength training. Each of the muscles in your forearm can be isolated and worked on it a variety of positions. Focus not only on the weight, but the rotation of the action. Most people just focus on a simple vertical motion, but the greatest benefit comes from a modulating rotations among the various planes.
Flexibility: I am on the fence with this one, though it has helped me with my tennis game. Stretching is an activity you can work in at almost any time during the day, though I have found it to be most useful in the morning. You can monitor the flexibility through the resistance felt in the wrist area.
Support: In a number of sports you can reinforce the forearm area with braces to help protect the area and compress the muscles. A number of baseball players sport this “armor” now.
Forearm injuries can be a constant source of pain if you don’t deal with them when they happen.