Preventing Youth- Pitching Injuries

By Larry D. Field, M.D.
Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center
www.msmoc.com

Baseball is the safest sport for children to play, but it’s not without risk of injury.

The pitcher is the most likely to develop injuries. Youth baseball pitchers risk elbow problems due to pressure on joints because of repetitive pitching motion, bad pitching mechanics, excessive pitch counts and poor pitch selection.

Many arm injuries to Major Leaguers are now thought to be a result of cumulative micro-trauma beginning during their youth league days.

Recommendations:

Track pitch counts at all levels.
Don’t throw curve balls, sliders, or other breaking pitches until skeletal maturity, circa age 14.
Limit baseball participation to no more than nine months per year.
Limit pitching to one team per season.
Evaluate immediately any persistent throwing pain.
Throwing should not be painful.
Showcases, travel teams and All-Star programs should be limited.

Overdoing a youth’s pitching is dangerous, countless studies show. If the goal is to play at higher levels, accept this reality. The number of injuries keeps rising with the number of travel teams, showcases and multi-season leagues.

For a child to compete at higher levels, such competitive events are probably necessary to refine skills; but we parents, teachers, coaches and physicians must temper our desire to see our children succeed by honoring their bodies’ limits.

SUGGESTED PITCH COUNTS BY AGE:

AGE	Per Game	Per Week	Per Season	Per Year
9-10 years	50	75	1000	2000
11-12 years	75	100	1000	3000
13-14 years	75	100	1000	3000
15-18 years	100	150	1500	4000

From USA Baseball Medical & Safety Advisory Committee, May 2006. Pitch-count recommendations do not include warm-up throws, throws from other positions, or practice throws.

Larry D. Field is Director of the Upper Extremity Service with Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. in Jackson, Miss.

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