Baseball season is upon us, and with the excitement of the season comes the repeated physical demands on players. Every player from Little League to the MLB can be at risk for an acute or overuse injury due to the repetitive motions and high volume of games they play each season. While some injuries are unavoidable, there are a variety of common baseball injuries that can be prevented or mitigated by proper injury prevention strategies. In this blog post, we’ll explore some common baseball injuries and helpful injury prevention strategies.
Understanding Common Baseball Injuries
Before we explore strategies and tips for injury prevention, it’s helpful to understand the different types of injuries that are prevalent in baseball. Understanding the areas that are commonly prone to injury can help players understand why injury prevention strategies are important. Some of the most common injuries include:
- Rotator cuff
- Elbow
- Hamstring strains
- Ankle sprains
- Knee
There are general strategies that players can use to prevent injury, as well as specific strategies that can help protect different areas that may be already susceptible to injury or prone to overuse.
Injury Prevention Strategies For Baseball Players
When looking at injury prevention strategies, remember that some strategies will be useful for all players while others will vary by age and skill level. For little leaguers, parents will have to pay more attention to the environment their child is playing in and advocate for proper safety procedures. Whereas older athletes and professionals will have to be more mindful about the risks of overuse and taking care of their bodies.
Prioritize safety
It’s important for players to wear appropriate safety equipment, as well as making sure the environment is safe for players. Players should wear a helmet with a face shield when batting and also when running bases and waiting their turn. Catchers should wear a helmet, face mask, chest protector, and shin guards. It’s important to ensure that the grounds are well maintained. Holes in the field can be a hazard to players as they’re running. Additionally, younger players should have breakaway bases compared to traditional bases that are bolted to a metal post.
Warm up and stretch
Warming up before playing and stretching afterward is an important part of injury prevention for all athletes. Baseball players should incorporate exercises that focus on their shoulders, like arm circles and shoulder stretches, and exercises that warm up their body, like jogging and jumping jacks. Warming up and stretching not only helps prevent injury but can reduce soreness and improve performance.
Cross train & perfect form
Spending time to train and learn before hitting the field for a game can help players prevent serious injuries. No matter how often or what level a baseball player is at, having proper form and good mechanics while playing is incredibly important for preventing injury. Spending time to learn proper form by practicing and watching footage can help prevent serious injury. Additionally, training will play an important role in preventing injury. Cross-training is great for athletes who play high volumes of a repetitive motion sport. Cross-training allows players to be physically active while giving their dominant muscles a break and strengthening other muscles that their body relies on.
Overhead Throwing Program
For athletes looking to take their training to the next level, a program that specializes in overhead throwing can help not only prevent injury but improve performance. At Advanced Kinetics, we offer an injury prevention program specifically designed for overhead-throwing athletes like baseball players. The Overhead Throwing Athlete Prevention Program is a 6-week program designed to address the specific needs of the overhead-throwing athlete. The program consists of a thrower’s screen and an individualized program created based on the findings from the screen. A video of the athlete throwing can be utilized to design the plyometric component of the program to achieve better throwing mechanics and utilization of the whole kinetic chain involved in throwing.
Count pitches
Pitchers are highly susceptible to overuse injuries due to the repetitive nature of their position. This is why counting pitches is critical for pitchers to keep their throwing arm healthy. The MLB has guidelines for athletes ages 7-22 to ensure they are taking the correct amount of rest days based on how many pitches they throw during a game.
Inspect equipment
Make sure bats, balls, helmets, shoes, and gloves are in good condition. Ensure that helmets fit properly and are in good condition to ensure they’re effective in protecting players from head trauma. Ensure softer balls are being used for young athletes to avoid injury. Players should wear shoes with good ankle support, traction, and a roomy toe box. It’s important to break in new cleats before using them in a game to reduce risks of injury or discomfort.
Where Can I Find Baseball Injury Prevention Services Near Me?
At Advanced Kinetics Physical Therapy, we offer both preventive and rehabilitation services in Falls Church and McLean, Virginia. If you’re worried about your risk of injury as a baseball player, our Overhead Throwers Injury Prevention program is designed to address the specific needs of the overhead-throwing athlete. If you have already suffered from a baseball-related injury and are looking for rehabilitation services to prevent further injury and get back on the field, we can help! We treat everyone from little leaguers to professional players in the MLB. If you’re interested in learning more about our injury prevention or rehabilitation options, please get in touch with us!
