• Over 3 million children across America play baseball and softball in organized leagues each year. Well over 10 million when counting backyard enthusiasts. 

 
• Sports and Recreational Injuries Study (2018): The National Safety Council (NSC) produces annual reports on the frequency of injuries by specific sport and age group. The good news is for many of the leading participatory sports, the number of injuries is trending down. For youth sports, the age group with the highest injury rate is 5- to 14-year-olds. Baseball and softball specific data for those treated in hospital emergency departments:

• All Ages:  168,906
• 0-4:              2,684
• 5-14:          70,895
• 15-24:        50,711 

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/sports-and-recreational-injuries/ 

• Additional Resources: There are many interesting and helpful links sprinkled throughout this website. There are many organizations with great research and articles. Several organizations and key materials are provided here to make it easy for you to review them. By working together, we all win in our priority objective of increasing safety when information is easily and broadly distributed! (email and post – ask them to do the same).

- American Academy of Pediatrics: Baseball and Softball (Care of the Young Athlete)

- American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM):

 Prevention and Emergency Management of Youth Baseball & Softball Injuries 

- Brainline.org: Emotional Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury   

- Johnson & Johnson: Youth Sports Related Injuries: How to Minimize The Risk

- Journal of Athletic Training: Sport Specialization and Overuse Injuries in Adolescent Throwing Athletes

- Kids Health: Growth Problems

- Kids Health: Five Ways to Avoid Sports Injuries

- National Athletic Trainers’ Association: Overuse Injuries in Adolescent Throwing Athletes 

- National Athletic Trainers’ Association: Sport Specialization and Increased Injury Frequency in Youth Baseball Players: A Prospective Study

- Safe Kids: Changing the Culture of Youth Sports 

External links are provided for reference purposes. Safer Baseball LLC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites posted throughout SaferBaseball.com. 

Baseball-related Injuries to Children Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments in the United States, 1994-2006: 

Approximately 10 million children and adolescents play baseball as part of a team or in backyards each year in the United States. While baseball is a great way for people of all ages to get out and get some exercise, injuries can and do occur. Taking a few precautions will help reduce the chance of injury and help everyone enjoy our national pastime.

• Overall, reported baseball and softball injuries decreased during the last major study period (1994-2006). More than 110,000 children in America are treated each year in emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries, usually related to being hit by a ball (46%) or bat (25%). Many more injuries go unreported since most injured players are treated on the field or at home and never go to the emergency room.

While baseball and softball are fun for all ages, injuries occur. Taking a few precautions can help reduce the chance of injury and help everyone enjoy our national pastime.   

Baseball-Related Injury

- More than 110,000 U.S. children younger than 18 years of age are treated each year in emergency departments for baseball-related injuries.

- The most common mechanisms of injury are being hit by the baseball and being hit by the bat.

- The face and the upper extremities (shoulders, arms, hands) are the most commonly injured areas of the body.

Who is Injured?

- Boys are injured more often playing baseball than girls.

- While injuries occur year-round, the majority of injuries occur between April and June, which coincides with youth baseball season.

- Adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 years are more likely to have been injured while sliding than younger children.

- Injuries that are the result of sliding are more likely to be fractures and need hospital admission than injuries caused by other mechanisms.

- Children younger than 5 years of age with a baseball-related injury are more likely to be injured at home and to sustain injuries to the face than older children.

Prevention Tips

- Reduced-impact safety baseballs should be used for all youth league practices and games.

- Safety baseballs, which are softer than regular baseballs, should also be used by children at home.

- Breakaway safety bases should be installed on all baseball fields used by youth leagues - including public parks and schools.

Batters should wear helmets equipped with face shields both during youth league play and at home.

- Children should wear properly fitted mouth guards when playing baseball, especially pitchers and infielders, to reduce the number and severity of dental injuries.

Objective: Pitching injuries are getting increased attention in the mass media. Many references are made to pitch counts and the role they play in injury prevention. The original purpose of regulating the pitch count in youth baseball was to reduce injury and fatigue to pitchers. This article reviews the history and development of the pitch count limit in baseball, the effect it has had on injury, and the evidence regarding injury rates on softball windmill pitching.

Data source: Literature search through PubMed, mass media, and organizational Web sites through June 2015.

Results: Pitch count limits and rest recommendations were introduced in 1996 after a survey of 28 orthopedic surgeons and baseball coaches showed injuries to baseball pitchers' arms were believed to be from the number of pitches thrown. Follow-up research led to revised recommendations with more detailed guidelines in 2006. Since that time, data show a relationship between innings pitched and upper extremity injury, but pitch type has not clearly been shown to affect injury rates. Current surveys of coaches and players show that coaches, parents, and athletes often do not adhere to these guidelines. There are no pitch count guidelines currently available in softball.

Conclusions: The increase in participation in youth baseball and softball with an emphasis on early sport specialization in youth sports activities suggests that there will continue to be a rise in injury rates to young throwers. The published pitch counts are likely to positively affect injury rates but must be adhered to by athletes, coaches, and parents. 

• Factors that helped reduce injuries in the last decade: In 2009, baseball had the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to 14, with three to four deaths per year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 

- Thankfully, new bat standards have led to metal baseball bats performing more like wood bats. Reduced Injury Factor (RIF) balls, breakaway bases, and all sorts of advancements in helmets including attachable accessories, catcher's gear, and new wearable devices.

- Maximum pitch limits and minimum rest periods for pitchers, and all players resting their arm for months each year.

- Little League changed its birthday cutoff date to Aug. 31, making 2018 the final year a 13-year-old with a birthday between May 1-Aug. 31 could play Little League. 

• Several factors in recent years may impact future injury statistics: 

- Kids are playing more, practicing more, and often playing year-round.

- Some are specializing in one sport, rather than playing multiple sports, increasing strain on the same muscles, joints, and tendons.

- The internet has helped parents become "House Nurses" where the option to treat at home with web-based advice is preferable to potentially waiting hours in emergency room waiting lines, therefore decreasing the reported injuries in emergency rooms. Safer Baseball recommends families seek emergency room or urgent care center treatment for any serious injuries.

- Many recreational leagues require travel teams they support to compete in their spring season. This helps prevent cherry-picking the best athletes and motivates parent coaches to remain engaged in the recreational league. The skill level discrepancies between participants in both of these types of programs may lead to injury when playing on the same field.

• New Resources: Safer Baseball is always looking for new research and other helpful materials to share. If you have materials you would like to suggest or share comments on any safety related items, please email us at info@SaferBaseball.com.