Preventing Pitching Injuries in Youth Baseball

Alarming Statistics
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).
Injury Prevention
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.

  • 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 , Boston Red Sox team physician, 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.

  • 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.
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