Should I wear a shoulder brace during sports?

Dear Ask The Doctor: I pulled muscles in my shoulder in a basketball game three weeks ago and i did it again yesterday the same way. I took pain killers, ice, heat and went to the chiropractor. Should i wear a brace when i play basketball?

Dear Josie: More important than using a brace is to avoid the movements that are causing the muscle injuries repeatedly; there is a very well described entity in the medical literature called: Overuse Syndrome, which can affect any part of the body that is over stressed with movements or activities in a repetitive way, including occupational, recreational, and/or habitual activities. Repetition is part of the definition of overuse injury. The concept is that overuse injury is associated with repeated challenge without sufficient recovery time, and this is true for any  sport or activity in which you exceed the guidelines and your own limits or capacities.