This Month in Sports Rehabilitation: Preventing Baseball Injuries (Feb. 2012)

Each year, more than 3.5 million people younger than 14 years old receive medical treatment for sports injuries. Interestingly, athletes who fall in the age range from 5 to 14 years account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospitals. More than half of all these sports injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, are preventable.

Baseball is one of the safest sports available for young athletes. However, many of the serious injuries suffered by adult baseball pitchers most likely started to develop when they were young.

2012 Sports Rehabilitation Baseball Clinic: March 19

Topics at this year's Baseball Clinic include:

• Instilling appropriate throwing mechanics at an early age and providing drills that the entire team can use
• Recognizing elbow and shoulder injuries and determining how to best manage throwing injuries
• Discussing risk factors commonly associated with injuries for young baseball players

Keeping Young Pitchers Healthy

Our team at UW Health Sports Rehabilitation supports the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee in making recommendations for minimizing young pitchers' risk for future, serious arm injuries and maximizing their chances for success.

We are committed to preventing injury and maximizing performance through education and public awareness, and our third annual Baseball Clinic will focus on topics directly related to the youth baseball player.

Let Us Know

Do you have questions about pitching mechanics and injury prevention? Leave a comment and our staff will answer your questions.