Photo Courtesy of Danielle Luongo Getting the facts straight From left: Alex Lincoln and Doctors Roger Ostrander, Joshua Hackel, Christopher O'Grady and Amit Varma held an open panel so parents and coaches could ask questions. The Andrews Institute hosted a clinic concerning common over use arm injuries in baseball on Thursday at the Athletes' Performance Building. The timing of the seminar was perfect as local youth leagues are preparing to start the 2008 season.

Speakers included orthopedic surgeons Amit Varma, M.D., Christopher O'Grady and Roger Ostrander, M.D.; primary care sports physician Joshua Hackel, M.D.; and Athletes' Performance physical trainer Alex Lincoln. They discussed topics of interest such as elbow and shoulder anatomy, common throwing injuries in youth sports and injury prevention methods.

In states such as Florida, with hot to moderate temperatures, many kids play baseball yearround. On the surface, yearround baseball seems like a great thing, but too much involvement increases any athletes', especially pitchers', chances of suffering serious injuries. The parents and coaches who are responsible for the safety of the "little leaguers" need to be especially aware of these dangers.

Incidents of serious arm injuries, some of which require surgery, are becoming more common among younger athletes. Dr. Varma, of the Andrews Institute, described the situation as "an epidemic."

There are two types of arm injuries, chronic overuse and acute traumatic. Overuse injuries occur when an athlete's arm suffers minuscule damage over a period of time until their condition becomes serious.

On the other hand, acute traumatic injuries occur in the blink of an eye. Chronic overuse injuries should be the primary concern for parents and coaches involved with youth baseball because they are the most common.

"Shoulder and elbow injuries are becoming more common in youth sports," said Dr. Ostrander, "and overuse injuries are more common than acute injuries."

Because children's bones are still developing, they have growth plates at their ends- we all know that. But it is because of this difference in bone structure that there are completely different anatomical dynamics in a kid's shoulder and elbow compared to those of an adult.

"Kids' tendons and ligaments are much stronger than their bones, and they usually suffer injuries to their bones and growth plates as a result," said Dr. Varma.

Many of the growth plate injuries do not leave any permanent damage; however if they go unnoticed and untreated they can lead to permanent bone and joint deformities. It is up to the parents, coaches and youth leagues to make sure pitchers don't exceed safe limits of arm use.

There are several safeguards that can ensure the safety of young athletes. The Andrews Institute, along with USA Baseball, created an index card that offers guidelines to help coaches monitor pitch count levels, rest requirements based on number of pitches thrown and ages to learn certain types of pitches. Many youth leagues have rules designed to protect young pitchers.

The Gulf Breeze Sports Association is a participant in Dizzy Dean Baseball. The 2008 Dizzy Dean Baseball rulebook outlines the pitching rules for each age group. The league rules limit pitchers' innings per day and week, and require a certain amount of rest between outings. As players get older, the rules allow for increased participation and decreased rest requirements to match the capabilities of the athletes' developing bodies.

Limiting innings only partially protects kids. The most important number that needs to limited is pitches thrown. A pitcher could pitch more than the allotted innings and have a low pitch count. On the other hand, they could also have very high pitch count in a couple of innings.

It is important to remember that fatigue is the number one risk factor for kids. "Poor mechanics is a result of fatigue," said Dr. Ostrander. "That makes kids more prone to injury."

One local youth league has taken all of this into consideration and decided to structure their rules differently.

"In 2008, Tiger Point Sports Association baseball league will be following the pitch count guidelines suggested by Dr. Andrews and USA Baseball," said Shane Player, TPSA President.

If a pitcher appears tired or he seems to be in pain, coaches should bring a new arm to the mound, even if the pitcher is only in his first or second inning.

It is unwise to believe that kids are being protected from injury by simply limiting their innings and advising them to only throw certain pitches.

"The take home lesson is that overuse is dangerous," said Dr. Ostrander. "It doesn't matter what pitch they're throwing or how hard they're throwing, but how many pitches they make."