Abstract
Sport specialization is thought to be a primary contributor to the throwing-related injury risk in youth baseball players. To (1) establish arm-injury incidence in a cohort of male youth (9-12 years old) baseball players and (2) examine sport specialization and the frequency of arm injuries in the same cohort. Cohort study. Greenville, South Carolina, youth baseball programs and tournaments. A total of 159 asymptomatic youth baseball players (age = 11.1 ± 1.1 years) were physically assessed and then were prospectively followed for 6.7 ± 1.5 months. Athlete demographics and playing and injury histories were initially recorded. Athlete-exposures and presence of arm injury were prospectively tracked. All injuries were physically confirmed by a licensed physical therapist. Youth players demonstrated an arm-injury incidence rate of 2.22 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Parents and players underestimated sport-specialization status based on the standard research definition (self versus research based: 31% versus 83%, respectively; P = .001). The frequency of arm injuries was higher in specialized players (100%) than in nonspecialized players (80%, P = .03) but did not differ between pitchers and position players (13.2% each, P = 1.00). Sport specialization was associated with throwing-related arm injuries in a small cohort of youth baseball players. It is concerning that 57.9% of parents and specialized players were unaware of the athletes' status. Larger studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to further evaluate injury-risk profiles in physically developing youth populations.
Highlights
MethodsThis was a prospective pilot study of competitive male youth baseball players (9–12 years old) recruited in the spring of 2016
Context: Sport specialization is thought to be a primary contributor to the throwing-related injury risk in youth baseball players
Sport specialization was associated with throwing-related arm injuries in a small cohort of youth baseball players
Summary
This was a prospective pilot study of competitive male youth baseball players (9–12 years old) recruited in the spring of 2016. A total of 261 players were initially recruited from local baseball clubs, baseball tournaments, and Little Leagues in Greenville, South Carolina. Athletes who consented to participate in the study were required to meet the following criteria: (1) no injuries that currently restricted the athlete’s ability to participate in baseball activities, (2) no shoulder or elbow injuries that required medical attention during the 3 months before study enrollment, and (3) 3 or more follow-ups with the research team less than 2 months apart. A total of 159 asymptomatic, competitive youth baseball players were included in this study. All players were male, aged 9 to 12 years, and participating in all baseball activities without restriction at the time of assessment. A position player was identified as any athlete who did not report pitching for an organized baseball team. Parental consent and athlete assent were obtained for each participant enrolled
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
