Top 4 Baseball Injuries: Prevention

Baseball is an all-time favorite pastime not only in America, but around the world. From the backyard family games to the pitcher’s mound in the big stadiums, baseball is a game everyone can enjoy watching or playing. While this game is fun and exciting, it can also be dangerous to the players if the proper caution and preventative measures are not taken. From elbow injuries to hurting the pitcher’s shoulder, there are several different injuries that can occur when one plays on a regular basis. Here are the top four common baseball injuries and what you can do to prevent them from happening to you or your children.

Top Four Injuries

When it comes to the sport, there are several injuries that are commonly seen. One of the most common is muscle strains or soft tissue type injuries. This can occur when you pull a muscle during pitching, catching, or running bases. Two more types of injuries that are commonly seen include cuts and bruises. This happens due to running into another player, sliding into the bases, or even getting hit with the ball during a play.

One other type of typical baseball injury is a ligament injury. This includes spraining the ligament which happens a lot when pitching, catching or running the bases. All of these can be minor injuries but others can be quite detrimental to the player. It can cause you to miss a full season if the injury is severe enough.

How do you stop these injuries from happening? What can you do to avoid elbow injuries such as overuse or avoid injuring your pitcher’s shoulder? Here are a few tips to help you prevent these most common injuries from happening.

Tips to Prevent Injuries

Always make sure to warm up gradually and properly each time you go to play. Do not skip the warm up as this can help you get your muscles and body prepared for what you are about to do.  Start with easy slow pitches, running at a slow pace around the bases, and getting your body prepared for the game.

Rotate the pitchers to other positions. Make sure that you do not overuse your pitcher or overuse your arm as the pitcher. Also as the coach of a baseball team, follow the guidelines on age appropriate pitching. For example, teens and adults can typically pitch two games a week while the younger crowd should max out around 75-100 pitches a week. This will help to prevent them from injuring their shoulder.

Always wear your protective equipment such as helmets, shin guards and catcher’s mitt if you’re playing baseball. This can help you to prevent any major injuries and keep you playing your favorite sport.

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