While baseball doesn’t have the kind of physical contact seen in football, there’s still some risk to getting injured while playing. One estimate suggested that 25% of all sports injuries for people between 5 and 14 years old occur from baseball. A Mayo Clinic doctor cites that common injuries at every age include ligament damage, meniscus tearing, wrist injuries, ankle sprains and elbow tendinitis. You can reduce your chances of getting hurt by following some baseball injury prevention best practices both on and off the field.
The alarming injury stats in American organized baseball leagues led researchers and physicians to set some guidelines for athletes, especially young players. A few of these precautions are listed below:
1. Get a Physical Examination
Most leagues now require a regular sports physical before an athlete is allowed to participate. Physical exams cover a basic assessment of your fitness level and help catch potential injuries before the baseball or softball season begins.
The cost of a physical exam is often included as part of annual well child visits for many health insurance providers, but can also be quite affordable if the league has contracted with a local physician to help out.
2. Always Warm-Up Before Practice
Coaches typically make sure their players participate in warm-up exercises designed to support baseball injury prevention. Specific exercises are beneficial depending on whether you are warming up your pitching arm, getting ready to hit, or stretching your legs to run the bases.
Pre-season strength programs that include a combination of flexibility, speed, and strength workouts also help with baseball injury prevention during the regular season. These workouts are often designed to address overuse injuries.
3. Use Baseball Safety Equipment
Part of preparing to play is arriving with protective gear along with your bat and glove. Both baseball and softball leagues have specific rules and equipment restrictions that participants are required to follow. Some common gear that improves on field protection includes batting gloves, helmets, elbow and shin guards, as well as undershirts with built-in chest protection. Shoes also play a role—cleats help grip the field, but steel spikes can injure fielders during sliding.
4. Know when to Take Rest
Rest plays a key role in baseball injury prevention. For hitting and fielding, this largely means taking standard rest breaks, but rest is critical for pitchers.
Pitching for an extended period of time without any breaks is the primary cause of elbow and wrist injuries in baseball. It’s also what ultimately leads to ulnar collateral ligament damage, which can require surgery if the injury is severe enough.
How much pitching is allowed between rest periods in baseball depends on the league and age group of the pitchers. It’s also important to check in with individual players. Some players should throw less than recommended maximums.
For softball, pitchers up to 12 years of age are expected to take a break every three days if they throw above 80 pitches in the first two days. A maximum of 100 pitches is allowed during a game for kids aged 15 and above. The University of Florida Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Department established these guidelines to help keep softball pitchers safe.
For highly competitive personalities, it can be tempting to overtrain. There’s a big risk of injury when this happens and it also creates the potential for weak performance during games. While a moderate amount of training will be beneficial for you, overtraining will hurt you!
Signs of Overtraining
While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are a few signs of overtraining:
- Decreased velocity, accuracy, or control when throwing
- Persistent tiredness or fatigue
- Increased muscle soreness in any part of the arm
- Sharp pain or tenderness in the throwing arm
- Decreased range of motion in the shoulder of the throwing arm
- Difficulty sleeping either due to pain or due to extra fatigue
- A sudden decline in motivation to practice or play
If you are a parent of an athlete, pay attention to these signals and check in with your child regularly.
#5. Acquire appropriate skills and techniques
Developing the right skills and techniques for playing baseball and softball is essential to avoidng risk of getting injured or injuring other players.
For instance, the proper training to learn how to pitch starts well before hitting the field. Working with a coach to develop proper technique will help prevent injuries. Physicians and physical therapists also provide guidance on safe arm movements. Learning shoulder rotation technique and proper arm position off the field protects your body during play.
Headfirst slides are a common technique that contributes to baseball and softball injuries. Knowing which slide to use and the proper sliding technique for a given situation helps to reduce injuries from sliding.
6. Safer Playing Environments for Baseball Injury Prevention
Taking care of the playing field is just as important for safety as taking care of the individual players. Is the field well maintained and free from holes for players to trip? Do outfield walls have proper padding? Are indoor practice facilities setup to avoid injury? Is there ample lighting in the field?
In addition to the above questions, check if the field surface is even free from debris prior to games or practice. Instead of deploying traditional bases, ask your field managers to opt for breakaway bases, which snap and dislodge whenever a player collides into them.
In hot weather, is there shade for players in the dugout and plenty of water for hydration? In cold weather, what’s available to help athletes stay warm.
7. Readily available First Aid Kit
Some injuries can be reduced through quick action. Having ice for swelling and a first aid kit for minor injuries is a must for every softball and baseball game. Most leagues require coaches to have CPR training, but having parents with basic first aid training available can also be helpful.
#8. Do not Play through Pain
Athletes from all sports tend to minimize the seriousness of pain. No one likes sitting on the sideline. When your body is in pain, it’s trying to tell you something. It’s important to listen.
While it’s important to recognize the seriousness of a specific pain, the best course of action is to take a break, especially if the pain is in injury prone areas like throwing arms or knees.
If a pain manifests during practice or in a game situation, the best approach is to take it seriously and rest the player. Persistent pain will require medical attention. For coaches and parents, it’s important to recognize when a pain is serious enough to seek the help of a physician.
Bottom Line on Baseball Injury Prevention
All physical activity comes with risk. What you do to mitigate that risk is the difference between having a healthy playing career and one that’s plagued by time on the sidelines with injuries. By proactively following the steps shared here, risk of injury will be reduced and players, coaches, and fans will all spend more time enjoying baseball.
