Baseball SAFETY

Youth Baseball Safety

Dr. David M. Lintner

Houston Astros, Major League Baseball

Most injury problems in young baseball players occur in the shoulder, upper arm, and elbow and arise primarily during growth spurts. For the most part, these injuries revolve around preadolescent growth plates, which are layers of cartilage inside the bone that generate new bone. This cartilage layer is significantly weaker than the surrounding bone.

In addition to the normal muscle soreness associated at any age with people who throw a baseball, young pitchers suffer inflammation and possibly stress fractures through the growth plates. Also, the ligaments that stabilize the elbow are attached immediately adjacent to the growth plate and can actually pull a piece of bone off if subjected to enough stress. The growth plates in the shoulder and in the elbow are the areas of greatest concern because these joints bear the brunt of the stresses of throwing

Building skills

Proper throwing mechanics—keeping the elbow high and the shoulder closed—are very important in the prevention of arm problems. These things are usually taught at the higher levels, but are important for players of any age.

Sliding is another good example of the importance of teaching fundamental skills. Young players watch TV and see a lot of professional players sliding headfirst, which, if improperly done, can be dangerous. Children do not have the trunk strength, arm strength, or shoulder strength to execute the slide compared to the larger muscle mass of an older player. Young athletes must be discouraged from sliding headfirst and taught to slide feet-first.

Above article was developed by Professional Team Physicians
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As young players start practicing early in the season, it is important that they get sound instruction from the first day. In the beginning of the season, they are excited and often very enthusiastic, so it should be emphasized that they should not overdo it. Children should not throw overly hard or they will not be able to throw the next day or the day after.

Coaches need to temper the enthusiasm and reinforce the proper techniques immediately. Also, coaches need to limit the amount of throwing at the start of the season. Some leagues limit pitching by counting innings. Because innings can vary widely in the number of pitches thrown, a far better limit is the actual number of pitches thrown. As a pitcher matures and builds up arm strength, the number of pitches thrown can gradually increase.

Curveball controversy

Whether or not throwing a curveball or slider damages young arms is a controversial issue. It is my opinion that an improperly thrown breaking ball causes problems, not only in young arms but also in seasoned arms. A properly thrown curveball is no more damaging to young arms than a properly thrown fastball. (Editor’s note: some physicians do not recommend that Little Leaguers throw curveballs before attaining physical maturity).
(President of Brookside Little League note: Curveballs are not allowed in Major League or below!)

The trouble that most young players face with throwing the curveball is that they radically change the mechanics of their usual throw — often dropping the arm sideways to try to spin the ball so it curves sideways. This puts enormous stress on the elbow. A true curveball is an overhead topspin motion, which should look very similar to a fastball except for the wrist motion.

Major league pitchers often say that a curveball puts no more stress on their shoulder or elbow than a fastball. Other things, like velocity and number of pitches thrown, seem to have more of an effect on shoulder and arm injuries than the type of pitch thrown.

Conditioning

By the time a child reaches 12 or 13, overall conditioning becomes important. If an athlete has been active in other sports, like basketball, in the winter, it makes the spring transition to baseball a little easier. If he has been on the couch all winter waiting for baseball to start, parents have to slowly increase his activity level before practice begins. With active children, the biggest cause of injuries is over-enthusiasm.

The information, including opinions and recommendations, contained in the Web site is for general educational purposes only. Such information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. No one should act upon any information on this Web site without first seeking medical advice from a qualified medical physician with whom they have a confidential doctor/patient relationship.

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by
Jon Anderson
jontanderson@juno.com