The Alarming Rise of Arm Injuries in Youth Baseball

The Alarming Rise of Arm Injuries in Youth Baseball

Causes and prevention for our sons and daughters

The world of youth baseball has exploded over the past decade. Many years ago most of us had Little League Baseball® as our only option but over the past 20 years, there has been a proliferation of town teams and club teams popping up in every community. Following that has been the opening of indoor baseball facilities, which have grown exponentially, proving that “if you build it they will come.”

Although having options for our children is a good thing, particularly by providing competitive training and baseball at all levels, arm injuries have become an unintended consequence. As ESPN and other national and regional sports networks have expanded on cable exposing us to move baseball than ever before, it seems as though many parents feel the opportunity for their kids to make it to the next level is within grasp, just a 95 mph fastball or a breaking ball with a quick and sudden drop is a ticket to a signing bonus. With many kids playing on multiple teams it goes without saying that our young pitchers are throwing more pitches than ever before. However, that is just one contributing factor to the problem plaguing youth pitchers today.

Due to this trend, several years ago, dramatic steps were taken by Little League Baseball® to make youth baseball a safer and healthier sport. This effort has been successful in curtailing many of traumatic injuries due to overuse. However, there is much more work to be done. The initial step taken at the Little League level to decrease arm injuries was the development of the pitch count rules. The pitch count rules were generated after long periods of study and research at USA Baseball and the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI). Even with pitch counts, not every child or teen is meant to be a pitcher. Genetics does play a factor and it’s common to hear about overuse injuries that occur in youth baseball, “FATIGUE” continues to be the driving factor. Research work done at ASMI in Birmingham, Alabama and from the Andrews Research and Education Institute (AREI) in Gulf Breeze, Fla., has proven that if a young baseball player plays with fatigue, there is a 36 to 1 increased incidence that they can injure their throwing shoulder and/or elbow.

So, how can you identify fatigue? Fatigue can be defined in three different ways:

1. Event Fatigue - too many pitches in a game.

1. Seasonal Fatigue - too many pitches and/or innings in a season.

1. Year Round Fatigue - playing youth baseball year-round.

Parents also need to realize that the number-one risk factor for arm injuries for our youth continues to be year-round baseball or softball. If parents understand the injury risk factors, it only takes common sense to be able to recognize what to do to decrease injuries. A second risk factor is playing in more than one league at the same time. Certainly, for those parents that have their children participating in Little League, they should try to make sure their children do not participate in more than one league at the same time. When multiple leagues are played in the same season, there are few safeguards and the chance of overuse injuries goes way up. I know many parents of pitchers at the high school level won’t want to hear this but Showcases present risks as well. Some showcases are very well organized and have the health and well-being of the young players as their top priority. There are other showcases, however, that are not well organized and carry a high injury rate. Today’s parents, unfortunately, and mistakenly, consider showcases as a way for their child to get scouted for both college scholarships and professional play. These showcases don’t mean near as much as parents think they do, and they can produce serious injuries over a concentrated weekend period. Additional factors are as simple as parents taking their kids for lessons to get their velocity to increase, i.e. impressing the radar gun. Young baseball players should not concentrate on their velocity. This is promoted by a dad’s radar gun in the backyard or by a coach putting a radar gun on a young pitcher which promotes a pitch velocity beyond their safety margin. Young baseball players have an underdeveloped Tommy John’s or elbow ulnar collateral ligament, and it is easy to redline that ligament if they are overthrowing with a radar gun. One of the easiest problems to identify as a risk factor are poor mechanics. The problem with curve balls at an early age is that it is a highly sophisticated neuromuscular controlled pitch that is difficult to throw. It is recommended not throwing curveballs until they shave. That means they have gone through puberty and their bones have matured. Poor mechanics continue to promote injuries so working on good mechanics for any position in youth baseball is extremely important. While seeking out a pitching coach to learn good mechanics sounds like a good idea, there is a caution involved as well...pitching lessons add an additional workload that could cause harm. Parents should ALWAYS find a professional trainer with extensive baseball experience to seek the best advice for their child. Just because your best friend’s son is the ace of the staff, that doesn’t mean your son has the same capabilities.One of the best local youth baseball organizations is Bloomingdale, New Jersey-based Akadema Prospects. Sponsored by Akadema Inc. one of the world’s largest baseball and softball equipment manufacturers of baseball gloves, wood bats, apparel and baseball accessories. Lawrence Gilligan, President of Akadema Inc and who founded the organization, played professional baseball, served as a college coach and recruiter, as well as, an Associate Scout. Working with an organization and staff that understand the nuances of the game and can identify a child’s potential, limitations and risk factors are critical to the success, well-being, and development of that player. “We often note to parents of pitchers, you can run, hit and field wrong and you’ll never get hurt, however, if you throw wrong on the mound, causing poor pitching mechanics, you can be sidelined for many months with an arm injury and possibly require surgery” “My advice, make sure you find a good pitching instructor with a solid playing resume (Professional or Collegiate level) along with an aptitude to teach. This will ensure your son is getting the best information to build solid pitching mechanics”