Throwing injuries common among baseball, softball players as spring season begins
by Emma Benson ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Spring sports increase throwing injury risks for baseball and softball players.
- Experts highlight overuse poor mechanics and fatigue as injury causes.
- Prevention includes conditioning, pitch counts and proper warmups to avoid injuries.
SALT LAKE CITY — Spring sports are in full swing, and for many athletes, the season can bring an increased risk of injury. In baseball and softball, medical experts say throwing injuries are especially common this time of year.
"It's definitely a very, very prevalent situation that we're running into," said Andy Mohr, a physical therapist at Intermountain Health's TOSH Campus in Murray.
Health experts say that can be due to athletes returning from months of rest and ramping up too quickly.
Those injuries are often due to overuse, overthrowing, poor mechanics or fatigue. They can include shoulder damage like rotator cuff and labrum tears, as well as elbow injuries such as UCL issues and Little League elbow.
"A lot of kids don't know how to throw correctly and overload their elbows and their shoulders," Mohr said. "If you continue to load it incorrectly, then it can become a bigger issue."
Athletes like Bronx Quilter know what it's like to deal with a throwing injury.
"At the time, I couldn't even throw a ball. I had to like underhand toss," the high school pitcher said.
He tore his right bicep and went through physical therapy to get back on the field.
"Band work and weighted ball throws, stretches, and a whole bunch of weight training," he said. "I'm just glad it's better now."
Experts say prevention starts with conditioning, sticking to pitch counts, and very importantly, proper warmups.
"If you're not getting yourself loose and warm and ready to play, then people end up getting injured," Mohr said.
Mohr added that injuries can also come from too much pressure being placed on competition, rather than simply enjoying the game.
"It's good to learn how to win, it's good to learn how to compete, but not at the risk of injuring a child," he said.
How to prevent baseball and softball throwing injuries
- Follow pitch count and rest guidelines.
- Take an off-season to recover and avoid overuse.
- Properly warm up before games and practices.
- Develop and maintain proper throwing mechanics.
- Strength train and condition to support the arm and shoulder.
- Never pitch or play through pain.
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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Emma Benson
Emma Benson is a storyteller and broadcast media professional, passionate about sharing truthful, meaningful stories that will impact communities. She graduated with a journalism degree from BYU, and has worked as a morning news anchor with KIFI News Group in Idaho Falls. She joined the KSL team in October 2023.