Coaching Baseball Pitchers: Chapter Seventeen
By Michael G. Marshall, Ph.D.
Copyright 2007
Chapter Seventeen: Wrist Joint
1. Wrist Joint Bones
a. Metacarpals
The movements of the Metacarpal II, III, IV and V bones in the hand are the bones of interest in the Wrist Joint.
b. Carpals
The wrist contains eight carpals that somewhat line up into two rows.
In the proximal row, four carpal bones somewhat join with the distal ends of the Radius and Ulna bones.
On the thumb side of the wrist, the Scaphoid bone and Lunate bones articulate with the distal end of the Radius bone. On the little finger side of the wrist, the Triquetrum bone and Pisiform bone articulate with the distal end of the Ulna bone.
In the distal row, four carpal bones somewhat line up with the proximal ends of the five Metacarpal bones.
On the thumb side of the wrist, the Trapezium bone articulates with the Metacarpal I bone of the thumb and part of the Metacarpal II bone of the index finger and the small Trapezoid bone articulate with the other part of the Metacarpal II bone of the index finger.
On the little finger side of the wrist, the large Capitate bone articulates with middle fingers’ metacarpal III and the Hamate bone articulates the Metacarpal IV bone of the ring finger and the Metacarpal V bone of the little finger.
2. Wrist Joint Kinesiological Actions
The movement of the Metacarpal bones define the kinesiological actions of the Wrist Joint. The Metacarpal bones move anteriorly, posteriorly, medially and laterally.
a. Wrist Joint Extension: When muscles contract that move the posterior surfaces of Metacarpal bones away from the anterior surface of the Ulna bone.
b. Wrist Joint Flexion: When muscles contract that move the anterior surfaces of Metacarpal bones closer to the anterior surface of the Ulna bone.
c. Wrist Joint Radial Flexion: When muscles contract that moves the Metacarpal I bone of the thumb closer to lateral surface of the Radius bone.
d. Wrist Joint Ulnar Flexion: When muscles contract that moves the Metacarpal V bone of the little finger closer to lateral surface of the Ulna bone.
3. Wrist Joint Muscles
At one end, Wrist Joint muscles attach to the Metacarpal bones.
a. Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis
The Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis muscle attaches to the base of the dorsal (posterior) surface of the Metacarpal III bone and to the lateral epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. This means that the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis muscle extends the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the deceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must safely return their wrist to its normal resting position, the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis muscle extends the Metacarpal III bone.
Sport Medicine personnel refer to humerus’ lateral epicondyles as extensor epicondyles and extensor epicondyle injuries as ‘Tennis Elbow.’ Tennis serve decelerations and backhand ground stroke accelerations stress humeral lateral epicondyle muscles.
During 1975, Stan Smith (Wimbledom and Davis Cup Doubles Champion) sought rehabilitation advice. I diagnosed that he had torn his extensor carpi radialis longus muscle from its bone. When muscles arise from bones, muscle connective tissues intertwines with bone outer surface tissues. Stan tore connective tissue from bone tissue.
Connective tissue/bone tissue tears pains sharply when athletes start to exercise too fast too soon. However, when athletes start slowly and wait for blood to flow into injured tissues, they perform relatively normally. Connective tissue/bone tissue tears require months of specific, diligent rehabilitations.
Athletes concurrently must correct injury-producing mechanical flaws. Stan incorrectly decelerated his tennis serves with his humeral lateral epicondyle muscles. Stan also incorrectly accelerated his backhand ground strokes with extension-locked elbow joints. Extension-locked elbow joints severely stress humeral lateral epicondyle muscles. Consequently, during tennis serve decelerations, I advised Stan Smith to use his large back of his shoulder muscles and, during his backhand ground stroke, I advised Stan to slightly bend his elbow joint.
b. Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus
The Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus muscle attaches to the base of the dorsal (posterior) surface of the Metacarpal II bone and to the lateral supracondylar ridge of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. This means that the Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus muscle extends the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the deceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must safely return their wrist to its normal resting position, the Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus muscle extends the Metacarpal II bone.
c. Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
The Extensor Carpi Ulnaris muscle attaches to the base of the dorsal (posterior) surface of the Metacarpal V bone and to the lateral epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Extensor Carpi Uulnaris muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. The means that the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris muscle extends the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the deceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must safely return their wrist to its normal resting position, the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris muscle extends the Metacarpal V bone.
d. Flexor Carpi Radialis
The Flexor Carpi Radialis muscle attaches to the bases of the plantar (anterior) surfaces of the Metacarpal II and Metacarpal III bones and to the medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Flexor Carpi Radialis muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. This means that the Flexor Carpi Radialis muscle flexes and radial flexes the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the acceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must powerfully flex their wrist, the Flexor Carpi Radialis muscle flexes the Metacarpal II and Metacarpal III bones.
e. Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
The Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle attaches to the base of the plantar (anterior) surface of the Metacarpal V bone and to the medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. This means that the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle flexes and ulnar flexes the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the acceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must powerfully flex their wrist, the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle flexes and ulnar flexes the Metacarpal V bone.
f. Palmaris Longus
The Palmaris Longus muscle attaches to transverse ligament of the palm of the hand and to the medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, when the Palmaris Longus muscle contracts, these structures move closer together. This means that the Palmaris Longus muscle flexes the Wrist Joint.
Because, during the acceleration phase of the baseball pitching motion, baseball pitchers must powerfully flex their wrist, the Palmaris Longus muscle flexes the transverse ligament of the palm of the hand.
Eight percent of the population does not have the Palmaris Longus muscle in either forearm. To check for the Palmaris Longus muscle, you only need to press the tips of your thumb and little finger together. If you have the Palmaris Longus muscle, then, because Palmaris Longus muscle is the only tendon that is outside of the connective tissue band that wraps around the wrist (retinaculum), the tendon of the Palmaris Longus muscle will pop up.
After the orthopedic surgeon for the 1974 Dodgers, Dr. Frank Jobe, determined that Tommy John had ruptured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament, he divised a surgery that used the tendon of the Palmaris Longus muscle in his glove wrist to tie the medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone in his pitching upper arm to the coronoid process of the Ulna bone in his pitching forearm.
Unfortunately, Dr. Jobe also crimped the Ulnar Nerve as it passed through its groove behind medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone in his pitching upper arm. As a result, Tommy lost the function of the muscles in his pitching hand that the Ulnar Nerve served. A month or so after his surgery, TJ called me and asked me why he had numbness in his little finger. I told him to immediately get back into surgery and tell Dr. Jobe to uncrimp his Ulnar Nerve.
Unfortunately, after Dr. Jobe uncrimped TJ's Ulnar Nerve, the Ulnar Nerve can only regenerate to about sixty percent of his previous ability.
On the plus side, because for the Ulnar Nerve to regenerate the full distance of his pitching forearm took about one year, this second operation gave TJ more rehabilitation time. Therefore, TJ could not return for the 1975 season. However, when TJ returned to pitching, he won the 1976 Comeback Player of the Year Award and pitched twelve more years of major league baseball.
4. The Kinesiological Actions of the Wrist Joint During the Marshall Baseball Pitching Motion
a. Maxline Fastball
During the acceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to turn the glove side of the baseball forward, in addition to flexing their pitching wrist through release, baseball pitchers need to mioanglosly ulnar flex their wrist.
During the deceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to safely decelerate and stop the powerful flexion and ulnar flexion of their pitching wrist through release, baseball pitchers need to powerfully plioanglosly extend and radially flex their pitching wrist.
b. Maxline True Screwball
During the acceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to drive the index finger side of their middle finger through the top seam of the baseball, baseball pitchers need to mioanglosly radial flex their wrist.
During the deceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to safely decelerate and stop the powerful radial flexion of their pitching wrist through release, baseball pitchers need to powerfully plioanglosly ulnar flex their pitching wrist.
c. Maxline Pronation Curve
During the acceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to accentuate the powerfully pronation action of their pitching forearm, baseball pitchers need to powerfully mioanglosly ulnar flex their wrist.
During the deceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to safely decelerate and stop the powerful plioanglosly ulnar flexion of their pitching wrist through release, baseball pitchers need to powerfully radial flex their pitching wrist.
d. Torque Fastball
During the acceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to drive the index and middle fingers of their pitching hand inside of vertical through release, baseball pitchers need to mioanglosly radial flex their wrist.
During the deceleration phase of the Marshall baseball pitching motion for my Maxline Fastball, to safely decelerate and stop the radial flexion of their pitching wrist through release, baseball pitchers need to plioanglosly ulnar flex their pitching wrist.
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