CLICK HERE for our COVID protocols   Request An Appointment  CALL NOW: (858) 488-3597     FAX: (858) 724-1747

Youth Baseball, Softball and T-ball: What Parents Need to Know

September 10, 2019

Youth sports injuries have been on the rise for years, and baseball players are not immune to this trend. 1 in 5 players between the ages of 9 and 15 will have an injury each year. The good news is that only 5% of these injuries result in surgery, or being unable to continue to play baseball. More good news comes when you learn that the majority of injuries are preventable with proper training and awareness.

Many of the injuries seen in baseball are common to other youth sports and include things like:

  1. Sprains and strains
  2. Fracture
  3. Minor injuries like bruises, scrapes, abrasions, and muscle cramps

Keys to preventing these types of injuries are making sure that players have a proper base of strength and fitness to participate, adequate warm up before practice and games, and making sure that players have enough recovery time built into their schedules throughout the season.

INJURIES UNIQUE TO BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

In addition to the common injuries above, baseball sees a large number of injuries due to overuse. These most commonly occur in the shoulder and arm, typically in a pitcher. Parents of athletes who pitch need to be aware of the risks of pitching and guidelines to minimize them. Studies have shown that pitchers who average more than 80 pitches in a game are 4x more likely to get injured. They have also found that pitching for more than 8 months out of the year, causes your injury risk to increase by 5x.

Tips to prevent pitching injuries

  1. Pick a team to pitch for -if you play on multiple teams, choose oneto pitch for and play a different position on the other to reduce the chances of injury
  2. Don’t play a position that requires a lot of throwing on your non-pitching days, like catcher
  3. Take 2 to 4 months off each year from pitching to rest your arm
  4. Keep your arm healthy and strong. The thrower’s ten was developed specifically for throwing athletes and is a good place to start.
  5. Stop pitching if you feel pain, or fatigue. Throwing through problems will change your mechanics and put you at risk for serious injury
  6. Follow the guidelines for rest days and total pitches below.

If you’re 14 or under: 

Pitches ThrownRest Days
1-20No rest day required
21-351 rest day
36-502 rest days
51-653 rest days
66+4 rest days

15 and under can throw a bit more

Pitches ThrownRest Days
1-30No rest day required
31-451 rest day
46-602 rest days
61-753 rest days
76+4 rest days

Finally, you should aim to keep under the maximum number of daily pitches set by Little League Baseball and Softball:

AgeMax Pitches Per Day
7-850
9-1075
11-1285
13-1695

About Water & Sports Physical Therapy

Water & Sports Physical Therapy is the only practice is San Diego that has our patented, state of the art, 3D infrared analysis system, which allows our doctors to identify strengths and weaknesses, develop a comprehensive and unique rehab program for each patient, assist with injury prevention and help improve sports performance.

If you are interested in receiving a FREE infrared analysis with your one hour evaluation covered by your insurance, please call 858-488-3597 or email info@waterandsportspt.com. We have 8 convenient locations all over San Diego to assist with your healthcare!

Share this: