title: Sleeper stretch accelerates recovery of glenohumeral internal rotation after pitching.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Reuther
authors.affiliation: Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: Toms River High School North, Toms River, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: sjthomasatc@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001484:Baseball / Q000502:physiology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012399:Rotation; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: GIRD; Throwing athlete; glenohumeral; internal rotation; shoulder; sleeper stretch