Lately, I’m seeing a lot of articles related to the risk of injury for kids who play year-round baseball, especially in the south. What used to be called “baseball season” has morphed into “baseball life.” And some say that the more they throw, the more they risk.
Kids use to play baseball three or four months out of the year. Now the spring season is followed by a summer season, followed by a fall season and the best players are also playing travel ball on the weekends.
The result, many experts say, is an epidemic in the past two decades of elbow injuries in young baseball pitchers often requiring UCL surgery (“Tommy John Surgery”).
The “Tommy John surgery” or ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction was developed in 1974 by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe and first used on major league pitcher Tommy John, whose torn UCL was the first to be successfully surgically reinforced, allowing him to return to professional baseball.
In 1994 the percentage of youth and high school Tommy John Surgeries Andrews Sports Medicine was 0% . By 2010 it was 29%.
Studies by the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, show that in recent years one-quarter to one-third of Tommy John surgeries have been on pitchers in high school or even younger.
One of the authors of a study out of the University of Florida, Dr. Jason Zaremski, found baseball players in the south have a high percentage of injury, specifically an ulnar collateral ligament tear in the elbow in their throwing arm.
Zaremski stated in a news release, “The old adage isn’t necessarily correct: that more is better. The more is leading to overuse injuries.” He continues, “This is an injury that should not be happening at our high school level or even collegiate level,” he said. “This is a preventable injury. If we can get to these baseball players and pitchers at a younger age and educate them on the risk of playing through pain, if it’s their throwing elbow or shoulder, I suspect we can decrease the amount of these injuries.”
Another contributor, Dr. Kevin Farmer, team physician for the UF Athletic Association to the study stated in the release, “The spike we’ve seen [in such injuries] over the last 10 years closely correlates to the beginning of baseball showcases, year-round baseball travel teams and playing on multiple teams.”
MLB has seen emerging young stars such as Jose Fernandez (age 22), Stephen Strasburg (age 23) and Matt Harvey (age 24) having to undergo the surgery after just short stints in the Major Leagues.
Compare that to pitcher Josh Beckett who has never had the surgery and has said during the summer months he played in the outfield and wasn’t allowed to pitch. His father and coach wouldn’t allow it.
A recent campaign by the MLB and USA Baseball called pitchsmart.org, is trying to provide medical information and recommendations to young players and their parents.
According to the website baseballexcellence.com and the head of the ASMI (American Sports Medicine Institute) Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, states “We are overusing our kids. They are wearing out at entirely too young an age. They play fall ball, summer ball, spring ball and winter ball. Some are quite skilled and look like miniature big leaguers. But they are not. They are kids whose growth plates have not closed and whose tendons and ligaments haven’t had a chance to mature and strengthen.”
From one mom to another,
Jenny Wilson
Sources: Healthday.com; University of Florida news release march 26, 2015.