Athletic injuries in young people

I am a huge baseball fan and there is no bigger thrill for me to have the baseball season beginning soon. I played four years of college baseball and far and away it is my favorite sport. My concern with the beginning of the 2014 season is all of the major arm injuries that the teams are experiencing including the Diamondback's star pitcher, Patrick Corbin, who will be out the entire season due to “Tommy John” surgery. My belief is that our kids are throwing a lot of innings as young boys and by the time they are in their early 20s, they are paying the price with injuries.
I am guilty as a dad because my son Sean played competitive baseball beginning at age 8. I
believe he played in more than 75 baseball games that year and subsequently the same amount of
games for the next six years, (and that does not include basketball and football games). We
watched kids throwing sliders and curve balls even at age 8 with total amazement, not realizing how much impact that would have on some of these young arms when they got older. The problem we have in Arizona is that the weather is so awesome that we play sports all year round on many teams and with different coaches, some very experienced and some just there because they are the parent or the legal guardian. I am not saying what we do as parents and coaches is wrong because I coached my kids for more than 10 years. My point is to understand what has taken me a long time to realize, that these young athletes are still growing and the impact of what they are doing at a young age could impede their growth in sports later on because of serious injuries.
I asked the North Central sports guru Itamar Stern of Foothills Sports Medicine to comment on his
findings "Over my long career as a sports physical therapist, I have seen numerous injuries in the
adolescent athlete related to overwork and overuse, none more prevalent than in the throwing
athlete. The throwing motion overloads the immature musculoskeletal system, causing injuries to
tendons, ligaments and bones when the thrower is asked to throw at a high frequency.
“Another problem is general weakness of core and shoulder girdle muscles contributing to injuries
at the elbow and shoulder level. At Foothills Sports medicine PT we recommend a professionally
supervised strengthening program specific to the thrower and the pitch count, taking into consideration the amount of practice and number of games, how frequently the athlete is seen, and how many teams the athlete plays on. Every parent thinks his kid is the next Steven Strasburg but incorrect training might lead to disastrous injuries and shattered dreams.”
Have a great and healthy April. PLAY BALL

bobby Lieb

The Lieb Group
Bobby Lieb
Associate Broker
HomeSmart Elite Group Manager/Founder
5225 N. Central Ave., Ste. 104
Phoenix, AZ  85012
Mobile: 602-376-1341
Fax: 602-996-9141 www.centralphx.com