More young children suffering shoulder injuries from baseball
March 10th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Spring is just around the corner, which means baseball season will soon start for millions of American children. But experts say parents and children should be cautious of shoulder injuries, as more and more young baseball players are getting benched because of them.
“It’s a growing problem,” Dr. Charles Metzger, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the upper extremities in Houston, told the Palm Beach Post. “It’s very common for younger and younger players to come in with elbow and shoulder pain and miss playing games as a result.”
One reason why more young children are complaining of elbow and shoulder injuries is because children are specializing in one sport or one position at younger and younger ages, leaving them more susceptible to injuries from overuse. They also play longer seasons, about 6.3 months on average for children age 7 to 15 years. And these young athletes are throwing curve balls and sliders at younger ages, which strains the shoulder joint. In some cases, these injuries may require physical therapy or even surgery. The best medicine, Dr. Metzger said, is prevention.
Experts say resting the arm regularly, cross-training instead of specializing in one sport or activity, and stretching the throwing arm after play can help minimize injury.
“If we can make it required that kids stretch after pitching a game, we can significantly lower the number of kids who have to quit baseball because [of] their arms pain or injury,” Metzger said. “My take-home message here is to do your stretches. They help.”