Training-Room Tips: Throwers Should Avoid Icing Just Before They Perform
A new study shows that icing an injured, or even a healthy shoulder, for 20 minutes, impairs proprioception and throwing accuracy. Essentially, an iced shoulder doesn't have it's normal sense of how it is moving in relation to the rest of the body.
Aside from affecting performance, this can be dangerous and may cause more injury. Since we currently don't know how long it takes for these negative effects to wear off, be careful.
Recommendations
Don't send pitchers or quarterbacks onto the field immediately after icing. Caution should also be taken with other athletes who employ a throwing action in their sport, such as javelin throwers, badminton athletes or tennis players.
If possible, don't ice just before they compete, and if you must ice between periods of play, be sure your athletes have time to warm their shoulder joint before sending them back onto the field. They should return to normal levels of functional performance before they resume throwing.
Reference: Craig Wassinger, Joseph Myers, Joseph Gatti, Kevin Conley, Scott Lephart. "Proprioception and Throwing Accuracy in the Dominant Shoulder After Cryotherapy." Journal of Athletic Training. January/March, 2007. http://www.nata.org/jat/
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