It used to be that the biggest concern for a Little League baseball player was what treat to get at the snack shack after the game.
A decade ago, injuries to the shoulder or elbow of youth baseball players was a foreign concept. But now, arm problems in little leaguers is increasing at an alarming rate, according to some local experts. That has youth baseball officials working with doctors to determine the root of these injuries which, at worst case, are resulting in surgeries and the early end of pitching careers.
Poor pitching mechanics and throwing certain types of pitches, such as curveballs, at too early of an age might explain some injuries. But two other possible causes are drawing more attention of late: pitch count and innings pitched.
“Baseball is a great sport and one of the safest of them all. But now, the one injury you are seeing is overuse,” said Tim Petsche, an orthopedic surgeon at Fox Valley Orthopedic Institute in Geneva and a Hinsdale South graduate. “It has always been doctors’ opinions that overuse was harmful, but now we have some proof.”
Keeping count
The American Sports Medicine Institute conducted a series of scientific studies in the early 2000s with support and cooperation from USA Baseball, Little League Baseball, and Major League Baseball and followed hundreds of youth baseball pitchers. The studies monitored arm problems and potential contributing factors.
The scientific results determined that the number of pitches thrown was the most significant contributor to arm problems.
Another ASMI study compared young surgery patients with healthy adolescent pitchers and found that young pitchers who often pitched past the point of fatigue (point where they are tired and laboring) were 36 times more likely to end up on the surgery table.
Travel baseball and fall ball have teams playing nearly year round, sometimes ranging from 80 to 100 games in a calendar year. Kids are being called on to throw and pitch much more than in the past.
“Over the past 10 or 15 years, there has been an explosion of opportunities to play organized ball,” said Dr. Ken Schiffman of Hinsdale Orthopedics, who specializes in arm injuries. “There is no question we are seeing an increase in the number of injuries related to throwing and more specifically related to pitching and catching. The message is these injuries are real, they do occur and they are important to avoid if possible.”
Schiffman said most current guidelines are based on pitch counts, and, if followed correctly, kids should be fine. Though he also cited that proper mechanics go hand-in-hand with staying healthy.
“When you watch a major league pitcher throw the ball, it is a very graceful motion and they are using the whole body,” Schiffman said. “If they are not trained properly, even if they are under the pitch count, they can injure themselves.”
As for advice to parents, Schiffman said that they need to pay attention when their kids complain about pain and that they, too, can count pitches during a game.
“It is not that the coaches don’t care but they are involved with a lot of things during games,” he said.
Another theory places more emphasis on innings pitched rather than total number of pitches.
A study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine showed that young baseball players who overuse their throwing arm are at a greater risk for injury. Following 481 pitchers between the ages of 9 and 14 for 10 years, the study concluded that youngsters who pitched more than 100 innings in a year were 3.5 times more likely to be injured then their fellow players who pitched less.
“When I was in high school,” Petsche said, “you couldn’t find a kid who quote, unquote ‘threw his arm out.’ You wouldn’t see that until maybe college or the pros. Now there are kids (younger) than 14 who are done, who can’t throw anymore. Some may still be able to play baseball but they can’t pitch anymore.”
Little leaguer’s story
Boston Red Sox scout and former Lyons Township baseball coach Terry Sullivan believes that youth pitchers who have yet to begin the stages of puberty are at a higher risk to develop problems with their growth plates.
Sullivan recommends that seventh-graders throw no more than 80 pitches while fifth-graders should top out at 70 pitches — and none of them should be breaking balls.
“The younger a pitcher is, the softer the growth plates are,” said Sullivan, a La Grange resident. “The more repetition the arm goes through, the stronger the muscles will become and that creates more risk of aggravating the growth plate.”
That scenario played out for 11-year-old Peter Pigatti, who currently plays for the Clarendon Hills Cardinals traveling team. The Hinsdale resident admitted that at one time, the only thing he thought you could do to hurt your arm was break it.
His viewpoint changed in November of 2009 when his arm burst into pain after throwing the ball down to second base.
“I don’t know what I did,” said the catcher, who also pitches on occasion, “maybe tried to throw it too hard but right away I was like I did something really bad. The next day I tried throwing but I couldn’t really move my arm and then the next day I went to the doctor.”
An orthopedic specialist diagnosed Pigatti with a growth plate injury (the growth plate had slipped), caused by overuse. The only prescribed remedy was rest.
Pigatti has since been cleared to play again. Now, when he does feel something, he knows to take a break.
“Now I’m a lot more cautious,” he said. “I didn’t like feeling left out and I don’t want to feel that again.”
Proactive approach
The Hinsdale Little League is one local organization that is trying to be proactive with the safety of its players. Along with following the National Little League’s pitch count rules, the league has also adopted some policies on its own. One extra step requires coaches to log pitches thrown by their players in a computer program after the game.
With kids playing sometimes five or more games in a week, Rich Simon, the director of the Hinsdale Little League, feels it is important to crack down on the issue of arm problems at the younger levels.
“I think in the past, parents were not real aware of it but now they are,” Simon said. “They are keeping their eyes on it (pitch counts/innings pitched) and are keeping track. They are making sure the coaches aren’t abusing their kids.”
Staff writer Ryan Long also contributed to this report.
Carol Stream, IL —
