If your child is a pitcher, chances are he will suffer an injury to his elbow or shoulder during his baseball career. According to studies:

• As many as 45% of pitchers under the age of 12 have chronic elbow pain.
  
  

• Among high school pitchers, the percentage rises to 58%.
  
  

• Pitchers suffer the most injuries (21.6%) of the high school players followed in the three-years study by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA).

Experts say that there are several things that the number of pitcher injuries, particularly elbow and shoulder injuries, can be reduced, if certain steps are taken.

1. Make sure your child is properly conditioned.
   "Most pitching injuries are caused by overuse, which may be the result of insufficient conditioning of certain muscles," says Thomas J. Gill, M.D., Department of Orthopaedics at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of a study of pitchers conducted at the Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation in Vail, Colorado, the results of which were reported in a 1999 Georgia Tech Sports Medicine newsletter.

   All pitchers should incorporate conditioning and stretching exercises for the shoulder into an overall conditioning program. The muscles in the front of the arm are naturally stronger. Because many shoulder injuries result from weaker muscles in the back of the arm that are used to stop the pitching motion, the conditioning program should emphasize building up those muscles. "Exercise routines such as cross-body curls, using light dumbbell weights, and wall push-ups are useful for strengthening shoulder muscles," Dr. Gill says.
   
   

2. Teach proper throwing mechanics.
   Proper positioning of the throwing arm during all phases of the pitching motion can reduce the number of injuries. According to Dr. Gill, researchers found that "pitcher's arm movements during different phases of the pitching motion, if performed incorrectly, can cause injury." Researchers identified four problem areas:
   
   

   • Maximum shoulder rotation: A pitcher needs to rotate his body more to avoid placing too much stress on the arm and shoulder which occurs when his arm is positioned too far behind his body.
     
     

   • Improper elbow angle: The pitcher's arm needs to be away from his body when the ball is released; the closer the arm is to the body, the more potential for injury.
     
     

   • Arm lagging behind the body. When a pitcher gets tired, his arm tends to lag behind his body, placing undue stress on the shoulder.
     
     

   • Excessive ball speed. Trying to throw too hard can be harmful, especially for young players, warns Dr. Gill.

3. Make sure your child properly warms up and stretches.
   Research shows that cold muscles are more injury prone. While a proper warm-up is important for all youth athletes, it is particularly critical during a growth spurt, when your child's muscles and tendons are tight. Experts, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons , recommend that your child warm up by:
   
   

   • Doing jumping jacks, jogging or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes to get the blood moving through the muscles and ligaments.
     
     

   • Then slowly and gently stretching, holding each stretch for 30 seconds. Pitchers should concentrate on stretching their arms, shoulders, neck and wrists, in addition to stretching their legs.
     
     

   • Your child shouldn't start throwing the ball hard right away, especially in cold weather. He should begin by "soft tossing" and then gradually increase the distance and velocity of his throws as his arm gets loose and warm.

4. Limit pitching.
   To decrease shoulder and elbow problems from excessive pitching:
   
   

   • Limit the number of pitches thrown. Follow the rules about the number of pitches thrown, if any, set by the baseball league in which your child plays. In what the world's foremost authority on pitching injuries, Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama, hailed as "one of the most important injury prevention steps ever initiated in youth baseball" Little League Baseball, Inc. will be implementing for the 2007 season new rules for pitchers in all divisions of Little League, from age 7 to 18, providing for specific limits on the number of pitches for each game, based on their age. The number of pitches allowed per day for pitchers 10 and under will be 75; for 11-12 year olds, 85, for the 13 to 16 year old age group, 95, and for 17- and 18-year olds, 105 pitches.
     
     

   • Allow sufficient rest before a child is allowed to pitch again. Under Little League's new rules for the 2007 season, the number of pitches thrown will determine the rest required before a pitcher may pitch again, with those throwing between 1 and 20 pitches (25 pitches for 17-18 year olds) allowed to pitch the next calendar day on up to three calendar days of rest for those who throw 61 pitches (76 for 17-18 year olds) in a day. Leading orthapedic surgeons have recommended that with higher pitch counts, four days of rest should be minimum. During the Little League World Series, however, there are no rules regarding pitch counts and rest days.
     
     

   • Prohibit younger pitches from throwing breaking pitches. A curveball is probably harder on the elbow than other types of pitches. Asked by Sports Illustrated the age at which a young pitcher could start throwing curveballs, Dr. Lyle Micheli, Director of Sports Medicine at Boston's Children's Hospital, recommended that kids not throw curveballs until they are 14, and then only if they have been pitching for at least 3 years. His advice: start with 3 training sessions a week, each consisting of no more than 15 breaking pitches. Little League "strongly discourages" the throwing of breaking pitches for players under age 14 but has not yet instituted an outright ban as it awaits the results of a five-year study on breaking pitches conducted by the University of North Carolina.

5. Never allow a pitcher to play through pain.
   Any persistent pain is a sign of a chronic (i.e. overuse) or acute injury that should sideline a child from playing until it subsides. Teach your child not to play through pain. If your child gets injured, see your doctor. Follow all the doctor's orders for recovery and get the doctor's (or physical therapist's ) OK before allowing your child to play again.

   
   
   Author: Brooke de Lench
   Author Bio >>
   Date created: January 6, 2008
   © MomsTeam.com, Inc.

   

   Related Articles

    How To Prevent Or Reduce Baseball Injuries
    Six Steps To Recovering From A Youth Sports Injury
    Strains: A Primer
   

   

   Copyright © 1997-2008 MomsTeam.com, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without written prior permission. For terms of use please visit: www.MomsTeam.com

   Printer-friendly Version

   Send MomsTeam Feedback