Boys and Girls of the Summer
As spring arrives and slowly transitions to summer with it’s hot and muggy weather, baseball arrives to the masses. I grew up in Kansas and normally the season would be almost over by mid-May, coinciding with the track and field season. In Iowa, however, baseball is played over the summer and is only now just starting as is softball. Both sports have great popularity in the United States with baseball being more mainstream and seen on TV, while softball is played by more individuals at many levels from recreational leagues to professional. With vaccinations on the rise and it being safer to venture out it is a good time to see some ball games!
These two sports come with a risk of injury in their own right. Baseball causing more issues to the shoulder due to the overhand throw and pitch, and softball with elbow and knee issues more commonly. With travel teams and year ‘round leagues these are usually due to overuse and lack of rest. It’s important to not ‘push through’ aches and pains as this can make simple injuries turn into chronic injuries. For many kids, there is considerable pressure put on them by parents to get back into the game, thinking they are losing playing time and opportunity for a scholarship. There has been plenty of research debunking this showing that multi-sport athletes are more well-rounded and sought after. I get on a bit of a soap-box for this, but there have been numerous times I have had to try to convince an athlete to let the injury heal to get back quicker and stronger, instead of risking long-term injury and being a mediocre player for the rest of the season.
Baseball:
Some more specific injuries that can be seen more in baseball are to the rotator cuff most commonly. With the overhand throw and pitching, the rotator cuff (common name for four muscles that work together to keep the humorous in the shoulder socket) takes a considerable amount of force and strain which leads to injury. Several studies show the importance of proper pitching coaching on mechanics and resting and how lack thereof can result in injury.
The labrum (connective tissue encapsulating the shoulder joint) can be affected along with the rotator cuff and can be a reason for surgery to the shoulder. The repetitive nature of throwing and putting strain on the shoulder can wear on the tissues and cause it to fray, like a rope being rubbed over a sharp corner. This is another instance that mechanics of the throw and pitching can help reduce injury when dealt with properly.
When it comes to youth, there are other things to keep in mind. The travel teams start pretty young as do many pee-wee and little league teams. In these athletes, the growth plates typically are not yet sealed. The strain of throwing on an open growth plate can cause disruption in such a way that it can hinder proper development. One very common injury in youth pitchers is “Little League Shoulder” (staining the growth plate of the humerus at the shoulder joint). To avoid this, pitch counts have been shown to be beneficial. Typically these counts allow for 7-8 year olds to throw 50 pitches per day, 9-10 year olds to throw 75 pitches, 85 pitches for 11-12 year olds, 95 for 13-16 year olds, and 105 pitches per day for 17-18 year olds. Proper rest is important — understand that these counts are for the day and not per team the player plays for.
The elbow is the other major concern when it come to the overhand throw/pitch. The most commonly known injury of the elbow is the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and resulting in ‘Tommy John” surgery. For little leaguers, the UCL typically is stronger than the growth plate and the growth plate can be injured just like in the shoulder. Yet again pitch counts and limiting the ‘funky’ pitches like sliders and curve balls until the bones are more mature is important.
Softball:
I did come across an interesting statistic that 1 person is seen in the Emergency Department every 4 minutes due to a softball related injury. The lower extremity (leg) is the most commonly injured body part in softball. Shoulder injuries are less common as the pitch is typically underhand and not straining and applying torque to the shoulder as much as an overhand pitch.
Injury to the upper extremities are usually always overuse. Pitch counts often are not utilized in softball and pitchers can throw many more pitches. In a three day and ten game tournament, over 1500-2000 pitches can be thrown by one pitcher. With the windmill pitch, there is strain at the elbow which can lead to UCL injuries just like baseball.
The common theme for injuries between baseball and softball is that they are ‘overuse’ injuries and getting proper rest and focusing on mechanics is key! Allowing rest between seasons and games is also paramount. The statistics aren’t there to say that travel ball and year-round sport lead to scholarships or contracts. The risk of injuring oneself and ending a career in baseball is higher than missing out on that coveted scholarship. For those that are playing in recreational leagues on the weekends, please adhere my prior post of injury prevention and allow for proper warm-up, cool down, and rest between outings.
Take care of yourself and make sure it’s not one, two, three strains and you’re out of the ballgame.