3 Other Common Areas of Baseball Injuries

Baseball may not be considered a full-contact sport, and it's not as high-impact as football, but players still incur a surprisingly high number of injuries from head to toe. Baseball injuries are categorized as either acute (traumatic) or chronic (cumulative, or due to overuse). Overuse injuries develop over time, due to recurring stress on muscles, joints and soft tissues without proper rest for healing and recovery. Traumatic injuries occur instantaneously, due to sudden force or impact. Sprains, muscle pulls, broken bones and concussions are all natural risks of the game. But as baseball requires a lot of batting, swinging and catching, most baseball injuries affect the upper body.

Arm

"Pitcher's elbow" is a condition that stems from repeated high-velocity throws. Extreme throwing action can predispose the elbow to overuse injuries like inflammation or impingement. During the acceleration phase of the throwing motion, a significant force is absorbed by the medial elbow restraints, including the medial collateral ligament (MCL). This is also known as the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Chronic stress to these structures can cause inflammation, stretching and, ultimately, tearing of this ligament. Treatment will depend on the integrity of the medial ligament, the degree of joint stability and the goals of the athlete. Usually, though, surgical reconstruction of the ruptured medial collateral complex is necessary. The "Tommy John" surgery and its variations seek to reconstruct the medial elbow ligaments.

Other elbow injuries include medial epicondylitis ("little league elbow" or "golfer's elbow"), bursitis of the elbow and tennis elbow. You can also sprain your wrist, develop wrist tendonitis or tenosynovitis, or fracture your finger in baseball. Imagine swinging a bat at full speed and rotating your wrists through the stroke. Or think about taking a 90-mph pitch off the hands. Ouch!

Legs and Feet

Baseball doesn't just involve the upper body. The lower body is also very important in maneuvering the bases and covering the field. It's also very important in the throwing motion, as most of the strength of the throw comes from the legs. Leg sprains and breaks, as well as foot injuries, can occur when you're making a run for the ball, stealing a base or getting hit by a ball. Ligament injuries to the knee are common when baseball players have to run from base to base, stop and start suddenly, chase after hit balls or change direction. ACL tears happen from time to time.

Head and Neck
The head and neck are susceptible to injury due to ball impact, collision trauma and sliding accidents. Even softballs thrown at top speed can cause concussions. Also, two fielders running for the same fly ball can hit their heads violently, since their eyes are focused on the ball. Baseball players don’t wear mouth guards either, so their teeth can get cracked or knocked out, and their jaw is susceptible to being broken. Black eyes are common, as well--either from a hard-thrown ball or a bat thrown by a careless hitter.

Despite all these risks of injuries, don't let them stop you from playing one of America's favorite sports!