Common Youth Baseball Team Injuries and How to Avoid Them?

Now that spring and summer are upon us, many people are looking forward to getting together their little league teams for the season. And with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic beginning to ebb, the outlook for summer sports opportunities is looking much brighter than they did this time last year.  

It’s only natural for your child or teen to be excited for this summer’s baseball season, team camps and other activities. However, regardless of whether you are a coach, manager or just a parent, you have to realize that your child will face injury risks while playing. 

Baseball injuries can be very painful, even life-threatening in a worst-case scenario. Naturally, they’re nothing that you want to see befall any member of your team. However, because you can’t be immune to everything, it’s best to be prepared for these accidents, both by instituting a strong safety plan and by having quality participant liability insurance in place. 

Let’s take a closer look at common youth baseball injuries, and what you can do to protect your team. 

Chronic Injuries 

Chronic injuries are unfortunately common in the sports world. They can start at a very young age and leave lasting damage. In fact, 50% of all chronic injuries can be attributed to overuse of certain muscles, tissues and ligaments. This can include rotator cuff tears and UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) injuries, which come from repetitive motion and can cause pain in the affected area.  

Youth baseball players are by no means immune to these injuries, and sometimes they are even referred to as “little league elbow” or “little league knees.” The best way to help your team avoid these problems is to make sure that they not only avoid overdoing it during play, but also that they warm up and wind down properly. 

Sprains and Strains 

Anyone can pull or sprain a muscle, even those who don’t play sports. Though most strains and sprains can heal on their own within a few days, they can be exacerbated by someone who continues to play despite the injury, or who fails to receive proper treatment. You should never let one of your team members continue to play if you fear they might have sprained something. 

Back Injuries 

Through swinging a baseball bat or throwing a ball, you run the risk of doing long-term damage to your spine or back. If a player sustains this injury, then they can heal perfectly well if given time. However, if they continue to put strain on their bodies, then they will suffer the long-term consequences. 

Concussions 

 Head injuries should always be taken seriously and immediately treated. Concussions typically occur because of a hard impact such as a fall, a hard collision with another player, a foul ball or a flying baseball bat. Signs of a concussion include slurred speech, fatigue, blurry vision, headache, nausea and vomiting, and ringing ears. Be sure to seek medical attention immediately for any youth showing signs of a concussion. 

Dehydration and Fatigue 

Although children often seem to have boundless energy, it’s easy for baseball players to overexert themselves. Fatigue also leads to other injuries, as players won’t have the energy or mental capacity to follow every safety protocol or avoid normal mistakes. 

Both fatigue and dehydration are common ailments that could both arise without warning and cause significant harm to the player without them even realizing it. All players should have plenty of water available to stay hydrated, they should also eat regularly, take breaks and know when to quit. As their coach, you need to teach them to be responsible, but you also need to know when to intervene and tell them to take a rest. 

Basic Ways to Avoid Injuries 

Following basic safety measures can prevent most player injuries from occurring. Take proper precautions such as: 

• Warming up properly 

• Switch out player positions 
• Don’t allow participants to continue playing if they are in pain 
• Keep in mind pitching guidelines (for youths 7-8, pitchers should only pitch up to 50 times per game.) 
• Don’t let pitchers pitch consecutive days 
• Train for control and good mechanics 

• Always have an athletic trainer on hand to assess injuries 
• Frequently check and update safety gear (such as the catcher’s helmet) 
• Cross-train. Giving players a break to play other sports that utilize different skills and muscles can prevent baseball-related injuries. 

However, at the end of the day you cannot prevent every injury. As a result, you need to be prepared just in case a player does get hurt.  

Your team’s liability insurance should provide both a liability benefit and a participant medical payments option. The former will compensate you in the event that an injured player’s family sues you over the fact that they sustained an injury. The latter will be able to let you assist players with their injury costs even at times when you have no fault in the injury itself. Both are excellent benefits to have when protecting your team’s own security in the event of accidents. 

With the help of your Bene-Marc agent, you can rest assured that your team will have the perfect assistance available just in case of any instance of player injuries.