Today in youth baseball, there are so many myths that are perpetuated by coaches and parents. While there may be good intentions, these myths can put the athlete at risk of injury. This article details four of the biggest myths that I see with youth baseball players that can be modified for improved safety and overall health.
Superior labral tears, anterior to posterior (SLAP) tears are a common reason for anterior shoulder pain in baseball players. These types of injuries can cause significant pain in the late cocking phase. While these types of injuries can be asymptomatic in many baseball players, certain variants of lesions can be very different in that some are stable, while others are unstable. Because of the variety, these types of injuries can be very difficult to not only to play through, but diagnose and examine as a clinician.
“Batter’s shoulder,” or posterior shoulder instability, is experienced with repetitive posterior shoulder stress which occurs specifically with baseball batting. Often, swinging and missing as well as reaching for an outside pitch can cause this posterior trauma. The article explains the mechanism behind the injury, the normal guide of treating the pathology, and putting shoulder instability of baseball player’s in perspective.
Blisters can be a major issue among baseball pitchers resulting in significant loss of playing time. As blister injury trends continue to increase, coaches and medical professionals need to be aware of strategies to prevent and treat these injuries. Here are some current strategies in the prevention and treatment of blisters.
A loss of shoulder internal rotation, commonly referred to as GIRD, is a hot topic within the athletic rehab population, but does it really predict a baseball player’s injury risk? This article summarizes exactly what GIRD is, what it isn’t, and incorporates the findings of a recently published article that reports that they’re potentially other measurements that may be more beneficial to predict shoulder and elbow injuries in baseball players. By having a better understanding of GIRD and the other measurements, we can learn to treat athletes more efficiently and effectively.
This article details the newest Pitch Smart guidelines from the MLB and USA Baseball. Recommendations include pitch count standards for baseball players aged 7-22 along with suggestions for each age group to be followed throughout the calendar year that limit volume and workload. These personalized guidelines can help to establish a framework and foundation of youth player safety as long as both coaches and parents alike follow them.