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It's as American as apple pie and the fourth of July. There's just something about the first warm days of spring that draws people to the baseball diamond. Whether it's eating peanuts in the stands at a major league game, gathering in a local field to strike up a game of softball with old friends, or trading baseball cards with the neighborhood kids, Americans of all ages love the sport.
Baseball as we know it developed from a British sport called townball. Alexander Cartwright developed the basic rules of the game in America in 1845 though credit is sometimes attributed to others. Despite baseball's rich cultural heritage, it takes on a freshness with each new generation that discovers a love for the classic pinstripes of the Yankee uniforms, the majesty of the sun sinking behind the Rocky Mountains at Coors Field, or the magic of watching Field of Dreams one more time.
Many children begin their baseball experience in their own backyards, developing valuable eye-hand coordination as they play catch, encumbered with an awkward mitt. And from the first up-to-bat at a T-ball stand, many are hooked. Certainly much of the sport's popularity lies in its accessibility to young and old, male and female.
With more than 40 million Americans participating each year in baseball and softball leagues, sore muscles and grass stains can be symbolic of a team's victory. Unfortunately, so are more serious injuries that often send both professional players and weekend athletes to doctors and emergency rooms.
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Click here for answers to your FAQ's and learn more about the risks to a pitcher's arm, when tell-tale pain should be heeded, and the value of breakaway bases.
Click here for our Frequently Asked Questions section.
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Baseball players wear little protective gear, because the primary injuries associated with the sport aren't related to contact with other players, but overuse or misuse of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Though stretching, strengthening, and conditioning can prevent some serious injuries, overuse at early ages has cut short the careers of many promising high school and college age baseball players.
Among the most common baseball injuries:
1. Little League Elbow
Little League elbow is seen most commonly in boys aged 10-15 who have increased their pitching activity, changed their playing field (to or from an elevated pitcher's mound), or even changed coaches. The condition is the result of an overload on the pitching elbow which causes the ligament to pull away from the growth plate on the inside of the elbow causing poor blood flow to the outside of the elbow which can result in small areas of bone death. The injury is treated like a broken bone with six weeks to three months of rest and icing, though immobilization is usually not recommended because of the tendency for the elbow to become stiff. Preventative measures include limiting pitches to 80-100 throws per week. Additionally good form and avoiding curve balls and sliders can lessen the risk of injury.
2. Rotator Cuff Tears
Four different muscles join at the ball of the shoulder to form a tendon cuff that controls the rotation of the ball of the arm that goes into the shoulder socket. Tears in this cuff are usually the result of repetitive wear and tear involving rotation of the arm over the head. Bursitis of the shoulder generally precedes a tear with symptoms like aching in the shoulder down to the elbow, and pain when raising the arm. Heeding these symptoms is essential to preventing a tear that is generally treated with orthroscopic surgery followed by a minimum of six weeks of rehabilitation.
3. Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tears
A tear to the ulnar collateral ligament, which is on the inside of the elbow, can be caused by the forces pulling the inside of the elbow in different directions while the outside of the elbow is being compressed during throwing and pitching. The tear usually presents itself as pain on the inside of the elbow, which may improve with rest and flare up with increased activity. Less severe tears can be treated with rest and rehabilitated with strengthening related muscles. More severe tears require surgical repair and a rehabilitation period from six months to two years.
4. Hamstring Injuries
Hamstring injuries are common to any activity that requires a quick take-off. The injury is largely the result of asymmetrical muscle strength: the quadriceps (muscles on the front of the thigh) are so much stronger than the hamstring on the back. This muscle imbalance can predispose a baseball player, who is running quickly from one base to another, to a hamstring injury. Research suggests that strength training for the hamstrings as well as adequate warm ups can help to prevent this painful injury that is likely to recur if not properly rehabilitated.
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| Medial Collateral Ligament Injury | | Rotator Cuff Injury | | Shoulder Impingement | | Shoulder Instability |
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Ankle: Braces
Ankle braces are often prescribed for ligament instability, tears, or sprains. The brace provides increased stability and may be used by patients suffering from ankle injuries or other chronic conditions. While walking or during other daily activity, the brace allows for normal movement of the ankle and foot. During athletic activity, the brace can also be worn to provide additional stability for the ankle, and can be comfortably worn with most varieties of shoes.
The brace is typically sized to correspond to shoe size, yet some varieties fit to small, medium, or large dimensions. The two general types of braces are slip-on, or lace-up, although there are also numerous sub-categories of braces that are prescribed depending upon the underlying condition, the amount of stability desired or the intended use of the brace.
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Hot/Cold Pack
The use of hot and cold packs to relieve pain and inflammation is a common method of treatment for many conditions. When the soft tissue groups become strained or irritated the rotating application of hot and cold can be beneficial.
Cold therapy numbs the nerves to reduce pain and combats swelling by constricting blood vessels and by slowing blood flow to the site of injury. The application of heat to an injury after a few days of cold therapy and after swelling and redness has been reduced promotes the healing process.
Heat therapy speeds up healing by increasing the flow of blood to the site of injury. Heat will also restore flexibility, relieve muscle cramping, and arthritic symptoms. |
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About the Clinical Review Team
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