With the baseball season rapidly approaching, the yearly ritual of tryouts to make a team or impress a coach begins at all levels of the game. Many have continued to play throughout the off-season in fall ball or winter leagues. However, many have not, and the first time they pick up a ball to throw or swing a bat is during tryouts. This can place significant amounts of stress on muscles and joints that may not be prepared to withstand those stresses. Every year about this time I begin to see in my practice young players that develop pain in their elbows and shoulders. Most of the time these pains are only due to muscle fatigue from pushing too hard to make the team. These athletes had not adequately prepared for the tryouts and suffered the consequences of a sore arm. If they had adequately prepared for the tryouts and upcoming season the majority of these injuries could have been prevented. However, even with proper preparation injuries can occur and must be recognized and treated appropriately.
There are a number of warning signs that must be recognized by the athlete and coach, which may signify the development of a more serious problem. These warning signs are:
WARNING SIGNS
PAIN IN THE SHOULDER OR ELBOW
- LOSS OF SHOULDER OR ELBOW MOTION
- LOSS OF CONTROL
- LOSS OF VELOCITY
- SWELLING OF THE SHOULDER OR ELBOW
- INABILITY TO WARM UP
- NUMBNESS, TINGLING, PINS AND NEEDLES SENSATION IN THE ARM AND/OR HAND
In the younger players, those that have not yet reached skeletal maturity (15 year old or younger) injuries to the bone growth centers or growth plates must ALWAYS be suspected. We must remember kids don’t sprain they break, meaning their ligaments are much stronger than their growth plates. There are a number of first aide measures that can be followed if an injury is suspected or develops including:
THROWING ARM FIRST AID
- STOP THROWING WHEN PAIN OCCURS
- APPLY ICE TO THE SHOULDER OR ELBOW FOR 15 MINUTES AFTER THROWING
- SEEK MEDICAL EVALUATION IF PAIN LASTS GREATER THAN 3 DAYS
There are also a number of measures that can be taken to help prevent injuries to the throwing arm from developing:
- PROPER WARM UP (WARM UP TO THROW-DON’T THROW TO WARM UP)
- STRETCH SLOWLY
- PRACTICE PROPER THROWING MECHANICS
- PITCHERS-COUNT PITCHES THROWN EACH OUTING (LIMIT TO < 75)
- ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE REST BETWEEN PITCHING ASSIGNMENTS (MINIMUM 3 DAYS)
- PERMIT ONLY FASTBALLS AND CHANGE-UPS TO BE PITCHED
- NO BREAKING PITCHES-YOUNG HANDS ARE TOO SMALL TO CORRECTLY AND SAFELY THROW THESE PITCHES
The beginning of a new baseball season can be both fun and stressful to the young throwing athlete. We need to be able to recognize our limitations during the early parts of the season while regaining the strength and muscle endurance necessary to throw a baseball safely and affectively. By following these guidelines we will be well on our way to a safe and productive season.