Pitchers can throw about 100 pitches during the course of a game, and each pitch places a significant amount of stress on the arm and joints. Over time, you may experience pain or injuries in the joints, such as the wrist. While position players can wear various braces and supports, pitchers are limited to the type of brace they can wear when their wrist hurts.
Rule Book
Major League Baseball rule 1.15 defines different clothing and apparel a pitcher is allowed to wear. The pitcher's glove and equipment may not contain any color that is considered to be distracting in any manner. The wrist brace also cannot be attached to the glove and must be a similar color to the glove if worn on the glove hand. The umpire-in-chief can rule that a wrist brace must be removed from the game.
Injury
There are a variety of wrist injuries a pitcher can sustain that may need a wrist brace. The most common is tendinitis that results from the repetitive throwing motion. Other injuries may be a wrist sprain or bruise from batting or sliding or an abrasion from sliding or diving. The wrist brace helps to stabilize the wrist joint and protects the wrist from additional pounding or abrasions.
Features
If you choose to wear a wrist brace, there are several features to look at to ensure performance. Choose a wrist brace that fits properly and doesn't restrict natural range of motion. You can choose a neoprene compression brace or an adjustable brace with Velcro straps. For many levels of competition, you are not allowed to wear a brace with any patches or designs relating to commercial advertisements.
Safety
Consult your team doctor or athletic trainer immediately if you experience a wrist injury while pitching. They will be able to evaluate the injury and recommend various wrist braces that abide by the baseball rules. They will also formulate a full treatment plan with therapy exercises and rehabilitation techniques.
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