Youth Athletes

Preventing Little League Elbow

"Little League Elbow" -- is an inflammation of the inner elbow that affects an alarming number of youth baseball players across America. Pitchers are most affected by this injury, which is the result of the excessive stress on the growth plate in a child’s forearm caused by excessive throwing. Children who experience little league elbow often complain of pain on the inside of their elbows and an inability to fully extend their arms.

Here are a few steps you can take to prevent little league elbow before it starts. 

1. Monitor pitch counts. 

•  9-10  year olds should throw no more than 50 pitches per game, or 75 in a week.
• 11-12 year olds should be kept to 75 pitches per game and 100 per week.
• 13-15 year olds should keep their counts under 75 per game and 125 per week.​

​2. Monitor the frequency of  pitching.

The number of times you pitch during the week is also important. Even in the major leagues, starting pitchers throw only once every four days. Rest time should depend on the number of pitches thrown in the last game. For pitchers ages 7-16, pitch counts can be easily broken up into units of 20. For example, 20 pitches or fewer require one day of rest; 20-40 require two days off; 40-60 require three days of rest; and anything above 60 pitches requires a break of at least four days.​

Here good document on sports safety recommendations.  While  mainly focused on Japan, there are some good pieces of information that are pertinent to sports safety in the United States. Particularly suggestions for reducing injuries and head injuries. There are also some good statistics as well.

Topics covered include:

• Youth Sports Injury Prevention
• The scope of the youth sports injury problem in the United States
• Recommendation to prevent youth sports injuries

To read the entire https://coa.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/AaronLMillerUSAReportforMRIForCOA.pdf

Shin Splints vs Stress Fractures

With spring track season now underway for over 3 weeks, in New Jersey, we thought it would be good to explain the difference between shin splints vs stress fractures of the lower leg.

A shin splint is an inflammation of the tissue running along the bone in the shin. Shin splints develop when the muscles and tissues tear due to the repeated pounding of running. This is usually caused by inflexible calf muscles in the back of the lower-leg, improper shoe choice, shoes that are not providing enough cushion, or ramping distance too quickly. A stress fracture is a very small crack or group of cracks that forms in the bone itself, similar to the white crease that would develop if you bent a credit card a few times.

The major difference in differentiating between a shin splint and a stress fracture is usually what we call “point tenderness”. With a shin splint, if you run your fingers along the shin, it will usually hurt all along the bone as you pass your fingers down the leg. With a stress fracture, there is usually one specific spot (or multiple spots) that hurts really badly. These spots are usually about the size of dime. The rest of the area will be much less tender.  In addition, people with stress fractures will also have pain with walking, sitting and even sometimes complain of pain that wakes them up from sleeping at night.

Stress fractures are much less common than shin splints. In most cases, a shin splint is a more likely explanation for shin pain, especially in new runners.

MomsTeam has long advocated that parents have the right to expect that a certified athletic trainer (AT) is on staff. An AT is so important that he or she should be the next hire after the head coach.  According to a 2010 University of Michgan poll, two thirds of parents surveyed agree, supporting a requirement that high schools have an AT on site for practices and games.

To see a great video to see and understand the importance of hiring an athletic trainer visit:  http://www.atsnj.org/article/moms-team-every-school-should-have-athletic-trainer