Being the first professional sport in this country, it’s known as the national past-time and the only professional sport with a 162 game season. Many student athletes play baseball almost year-round. The cumulative effect of baseball’s volume of games and throwing, can increase injury risks. Some common injuries are listed below
Shoulder
- Tendonitis: Commonly in throwers, the shoulder rotator cuff muscles can become painful and inflamed due to overuse from stabilizing the shoulder joint for throwing related movements. As kids and teens play baseball more months of the year and the volume and intensity of practices and games increase, the risk of shoulder pain and injury increases. With early diagnosis and treatment of this condition, we can help you return back to sport as soon as possible
- Labral tear: Throwing sports put a lot of stress on the shoulder and the labrum can be vulnerable to injury from overuse or from an outstretched arm diving for a ball. We can help you determine of your pain is due to a shoulder labral injury
Elbow
- Ligament injury: The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on the inside of the elbow is vulnerable to repetitive stress in throwers related to arm deceleration and can develop partial tearing which can be treated non-surgically, but if a complete tear occurs, this can be a surgical problem. We want to help you avoid a complete UCL tear
- Tendonitis: Tendons on the outside and inside of the elbow can become painful with gripping activity like gripping a bat or ball
Spine
- Sprains and strains: Muscle injuries to the spine area can occur and contribute to pain with batting and throwing movements
Hip
- Sprains and strains: Sometimes a sudden sprint movement can lead to an injury to the hamstrings or hip flexor muscles
- Labral tear: Though not as common in the hip as the shoulder, hip labral tears can be a source of hip pain and limitations in activity
Knee
- Ligament injuries: There are four knee ligaments that can be injured in sports like baseball and softball and benefit from early assessment and treatment
- Patellofemoral Pain: This is a common cause of knee pain in running sports and teens and benefits from diagnosis and treatment of the underlying contributing factors
Foot and Ankle
- Ankle sprains: Are common in baseball due to the speed and running bases on unstable dirt. Sometimes ankle sprains are more serious injuries like fractures or high ankle sprains benefiting from early diagnosis and treatment
***If you are suffering from one of these injuries, or any other injury, schedule an appointment with Sports Health Northwest We want to help you get back to sport.
