I don’t!
I’ve stopped using it because I was seeing guys do more harm than good when they were told to use it.
Maybe it’s poor education or maybe it’s there are just better alternatives.
Just to recap…baseball pitchers lose internal rotation (IR) ROM after they throw. We showed that in a study in 2008 in AJSM. That loss of IR ROM can last for days (also in our study).
It seems as if restoring IR ROM (and total ROM) is critical.
But why did I stop using the sleeper stretch?
Many guys would come to with me with an irritated shoulder from doing the stretch and once I pulled the stretch from their program, their pain decreased. This has happened numerous times.
An alternative is a simple horizontal adduction stretch. Either performed by the athlete themself or by a rehab specialist.
Stabilizing the scapula helps to isolate the stretch to the BACK of the SHOULDER…this is CRITICAL!
Find the angle to isolate the stretch posteriorly and not superiorly (as many feel). Watch as I play with internal rotation at the shoulder as I horizontally adduct the humerus.
