Lockport ace Dana Bowler had just completed 21 straight days of throwing last spring when she felt a sharp pain.
“As I was loosening up for a pitching lesson, I felt a shooting pain in the front of my shoulder,” Bowler said. “My orthopedic doctor said I had loose joints and my shoulder was starting to pull out of the socket.”
But a doctor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago believes the windmill pitching motion is responsible for injuries like Bowler’s.
The cornerstone of girls fast-pitch softball is that the underhand windmill delivery allows pitchers to handle outrageous workloads with impunity.
That is being disputed by Dr. Nikhil Verma, whose research could lead to a dramatic re-evaluation of the sport.
“It’s the windmill delivery itself that is causing pain to the front of the shoulder,” said Verma, a sports medicine specialist who was the team physician for the Chicago Bandits professional softball team the last three years. “It stands to reason that excessive use of that motion will lead to this type of injury.”
Verma and his research team had its findings published in last month’s American Journal of Sports Medicine, and Verma is currently in Osaka, Japan, presenting his research at an international orthopedic sports-medicine forum.
One of the discoveries was that the windmill delivery puts more stress on the biceps tendon than does the overhand delivery used by baseball pitchers.
Bowler was 11-2 when she had to shut down her junior season in late April after the three-week stretch of throwing in games, practices and bullpen warmups.
“I didn’t pitch for two months after that, and it took me another month to get into throwing shape,” Bowler said. “I’m still not where I was before the injury.
“In one summer tournament, we had to play seven games in one day. We only had two pitchers, so I had to pitch four games. I’ve had to do that a couple times.”
No. 1 Lockport (8-0) has a deep pitching staff with Bowler, Allison Shimkus and Allyssa Vorel. Bowler, who will pitch next year at Ferris State, is 3-0 with just 12 innings as a starter.
Fremd junior ace Lena Brottman limits herself to throwing every other day and heads a three-pitcher staff. Brottman said she has encountered pitching coaches who encouraged her to throw every day.
“I want to pitch as much as I can, but you have to be smart about it,” said Brottman (5-1). “You always want to tough it out and keep pitching, but there’s a fine line between being a gamer and being careful.”
Her mother, Jan Brottman, said she is glad Verma is sounding a warning.
“If we need pitching limits to help ensure the safety of our kids, absolutely, we should do it,” Jan Brottman said. “When Lena was 14, she once pitched three games in a day. We’re aware that overuse can cause an injury.”
Verma said he first became aware of the issue when several Bandits pitchers came to him with the same ailment. He said he was able to localize the pain to the biceps tendon.
“One of the Bandit pitchers ruptured her biceps tendon while she was playing,” Verma said. “It’s not only the windmill motion, but overuse that can cause injury.”
Verma said previous studies have shown anterior shoulder pain being the “common culprit” of shoulder injuries. Four Bandits pitchers and three college pitchers were the subjects of the six-week study last spring.
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bsakamoto@tribune.com
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