Injuries in baseball that often occur from repeated movements are preventable, such as the throwing motion. These injuries usually influence the shoulder and elbow joints while limiting the athletes’ playing time.
How can I prevent these chronic injuries?
Some simple things that we can do to prevent these injuries include:
- Warm up properly before practices and games using a dynamic warm up protocol specific to baseball.
- Emphasize good mechanics as a coach or parent.
- Don’t play year round.
- Switch positions regularly if possible.
- Follow the pitch count rules as developed by Little League Baseball.
- Develop skills that are appropiate for the age group.
- Don’t pitch on consecutive days.
Makovicka Physical Therapy – If you have any other questions about preventing injury, visit one of our 5 convenient Omaha locations.
References:
Ireland, M. L., Andrews, J., & Fleisig, G. (2010). Stop sports injuries – sports tips. Retrieved from http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0017/4524/AOSSM_Baseball_Injuries_tip_sheet.pdf
Prevention and Emergency Management of Youth
Baseball and Softball Injuries. American Orthopaedic
Society for Sports Medicine. 2005.
Little League Baseball. www.littleleague.org/ Assets/
old_assets/media/pitchcount_faq_08.pdf
American Sports Medicine Institute. www.asmi.org