Each year, more than 125,000 baseball and softball players under age
15 are injured badly enough to seek treatment in hospital emergency
departments. Hundreds of thousands of adults receive minor injuries
in these sports. Many of the injuries can be prevented if players
wear safety gear and if additional safety measures are added to the
game.Bike crashes can result in serious injury. In 1997, more than
half a million persons were injured badly enough to need emergency
department care as a result of bike crashes in the United States.
Wearing a bike helmet reduces the risk of brain injury from a bike
crash by as much as 88%.
Tips for Preventing Baseball and Softball Injuries
To help your child avoid injuries while playing baseball or
softball, follow these safety tips from the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and other sports and health
organizations. (Note: These tips apply to adult ball players, too.)
- Before your child starts a training program or plays competitive
baseball or softball, take him or her to the doctor for a physical
exam. The doctor can help assess any special injury risks your
child may have.
- Make sure your child wears all the required safety gear every time
he or she plays and practices. Insist that your child wear a helmet
when batting, waiting to bat, or running the bases. Helmets should
have eye protectors, either safety goggles or face guards. Shoes with
molded cleats are recommended (most youth leagues prohibit the use of
steel spikes). If your child is a catcher, he or she will need additional
safety gear: catcher's mitt, face mask, throat guard, long-model chest
protector, and shin guards.
- If your child is a pitcher, make sure pitching time is limited.
Little League mandates time limits and requires rest periods for
- Insist that your child warm up and stretch before playing.
- Teach your child not to play through pain. If your child gets
injured, see your doctor. Follow all the doctor's orders for
recovery, and get the doctor's OK before your child returns to play.
- Make sure first aid is available at all games and practices.
- Talk to and watch your child=s coach. Coaches should enforce all
the rules of the game, encourage safe play, and understand the special
injury risks that young players face. Make sure your child's coach
teaches players how to avoid injury when sliding (prohibits
headfirst sliding in young players), pitching, or dodging a ball
pitched directly at them.
- Above all, keep baseball and softball fun. Putting too much focus
on winning can make your child push too hard and risk injury.
Encourage your league to use breakaway bases. These bases,
which detach when someone slides into them, can prevent many ankle
and knee injuries in both children and adults. Leagues with players
10 years old and under should alter the rules of the game to include
the use of adult pitchers or batting tees. Remember, you don't have to
be on a baseball diamond to get hurt. Make sure your child wears safety
gear and follows safety rules during informal baseball and softball
Who Is Affected?
In the United States, more than 33 million people participate in organized baseball and
softball leagues. Nearly 6 million of these players are 5 to 14 years old. Even though
these sports are not considered contact sports, they are associated with a large number of
injuries. Hospital emergency departments treat more than 95,000 baseball-related injuries
and 30,000 softball-related injuries among players under age 15 each year. The number of
injuries among adults is also high, with as many as 8 percent of players sustaining
injuries each year.
The majority of injuries in baseball and softball are minor, consisting mostly of
abrasions (scrapes), sprains, strains, and fractures. Many of these injuries are to the
ankle and knee. Eye injuries are also common in baseball. In fact, baseball is the leading
cause of sports-related eye injuries in children. Catastrophic injuries in baseball and
softball are rare. They occur most often when players are struck in the head or chest with
a ball or a bat. On average, 3 children under age 15 die each year from baseball-related
Baseball can lead to injuries caused by overusing a certain body part. Pitchers
commonly suffer overuse injuries in their elbows or shoulders. As many as 45 percent of
pitchers under age 12 have chronic elbow pain, and among high school pitchers, the
percentage rises to 58 percent. To prevent these injuries, Little League Baseball, Inc.,
has set a limit of six innings of pitching per week and requires pitchers to rest between
appearances. Teaching proper pitching mechanics can also prevent serious overuse injuries.
Helmets and safety equipment for catchers have brought about reductions in injuries.
Little League Rule 1.7 says, A Catcher's helmet must meet NOCSAE specifications and
standards.@ Other safety gear has been added
more recently, including eye protectors and face masks on helmets. Chest protectors and
softer balls are also being studied for their protective effect.
Making changes to the playing field and the rules of the game can also prevent
injuries. Sliding into the base causes more than 70 percent of recreational softball
injuries and nearly one-third of baseball injuries. Using bases that break away upon
impact can prevent 1.7 million injuries per year. Adding screens or fencing to the dugout
and eliminating the on-deck circle protects players from wild pitches, foul balls, and
Accessed July 7, 1999.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Baseball safety. CPSC publication #329.
Washington, DC: The Commission.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Reducing youth baseball injuries with
protective equipment. Consumer Product Safety Review 1996;1(1):1-4.