Submitted By Lance A. Rettig M.D.
11.10.2008

Thousands of children play organized youth baseball in the United States. As the popularity of the sport has increased, so has research pertaining to its related injuries, the most common of which occurs to the throwing elbow. A majority of these are classified as overuse or misuse injuries resulting from poor technique, poor mechanics, pitch volume and frequency of play. To reduce the number of injuries, many experts have identified risk factors for injury in youth baseball, which include:  

• Throwing the breaking ball at an early age
• Throwing too many pitches per game or innings per week
• Participation in more than one youth baseball league simultaneously
• Participation in year-round baseball
• Poor pitching mechanics due to faulty coaching / instruction
• Poor practice and condition habits due to substandard coaching practices

If a young pitcher does suffer from an injury, non-operative treatment is usually the first step taken to reverse the damage.  Treatment options may include reducing inflammation and controlling pain, stretching and strengthening exercises, throwing technique modifications, and cessation of throwing. If these methods are unsuccessful, surgery may be the only option in order to return the athlete back to the field. For more information visit the American Sports Medicine Institute at www.asmi.org.