SPORTS MEDICINE CENTER & WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS
YOUTH THROWING INJURY AWARENESS PROGRAM
TOO MUCH THROWING IS DANGEROUS TO THE HEALTH OF GROWING AND DEVELOPING ATHLETES
BACKGROUND
- Shoulder and elbow injuries in young baseball players are on the rise
- There are an increasing number of adolescent players undergoing elbow surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament after throwing injuries (Tommy John surgery)
- Pre-adolescent throwers differ from skeletally mature individuals in that the growth plates are not able to withstand excess stress
- Coaches and parents' awareness is critical in preventing youth thrower's injuries
INJURY AWARENESS PROGRAM
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and their team physicians, Dr. "E.T." Mejia and Dr. Timothy Mologne have joined to promote a youth awareness program for community and high school baseball players to prevent injuries they commonly see in their practice.
- The program aims to educate the baseball community (coaches, parents, players, etc.) about the increasing level of injuries and how to prevent them.
- They seek to share new guidelines promoted by USA Baseball, Little League International and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
- Current recommendations stem away from old "rule of thumb" guidelines pitching 6 innings per week and 15 batters = 75 pitches
RISK FACTORS for injuries
- High pitch counts
- Inadequate interval rest between pitches
- Breaking pitches before skeletal maturity (Pitch type)
- Pitching more than 9 months per year
- Pitching through arm fatigue (36 times higher risk of injury)
- Harder throwing pitchers (2.6 times higher risk of injury)
- Poor mechanics of pitching
USA Baseball Position Statement
- Pitch count should be kept for all pitchers
- Breaking pitches should not be thrown until skeletal maturity
- Baseball participation should be limited to no more than 9 months/ year
- Pitching should be limited to one team per season
PREVENTION
- Promote awareness with players, parents and coaches
- Teaching proper throwing techniques
- Keep eye for signs of fatigue or complaints
- Encourage kids to voice arm pain. Adults need to be aware of kids arm condition
- Distinguish joint pain vs muscle ache
- Beware multiple leagues/ tournament teams
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Note: Please note that USA Baseball and the orthopedic sports medicine organizations recommend a more conservative pitch count than that adopted by Little League International. Each youth league may elect to follow its own pitching limits.
- Watch for signs of fatigue and avoid pitching through them
- Pitcher shaking his arm, rubbing shoulder or elbow, excessive stretching to relieve soreness
- Diminishing effectiveness during pitching outing
- Monitor lingering discomfort
- Frequent use of ibuprofen or ice after outings
- Prolonged warm ups to "work out the kinks"
- Err on the side of more conservative pitch counts early in the season
- Encourage use of warm up jacket between innings early in the season when it is colder
- Discourage use of breaking pitches before skeletal maturity
- First develop pitch control and location, fastball variations and changeup
- Encourage young players to develop their arm simply by throwing, more than pitching
- Long toss is a more effective way to develop a maturing arm
- Share information with parents, coaches, players
- Seek help from professional early if there are any concerns
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