The greatest American sport of all time has to be baseball. From t-ball to the pros, more people in our country play baseball or softball than any other sport. But, baseball does have its consequences when it comes to orthopedic injuries…especially when it comes to more competitive levels of the sport. Such consequences include injuries mostly due to overuse.
Here are six injuries most commonly suffered by baseball players and how to treat them before they become major pains:
1.Muscle Strains. For pitchers especially, oblique muscle strain is common injury due to the repetition of throwing, rotating the shoulder and sharply having to readjust their position at the mound.
2.Shoulder Tears (Labral). Torn cartilage that surrounds the shoulder socket is a common baseball injury torn when your job on the field is to throw the ball constantly. The shoulder joint begins to feel consistent pain, catch or pop as the labrum becomes loose and the entire joint becomes unstable.
3.Bad Rotator Cuff. The rotator cuff is what helps the shoulders move about. Repeating the motion of throwing can cause tendons of the rotator cuff to get damaged and cause pain. This could also lead to tendonitis. If suffering from a rotator cuff injury, you may not only feel pain in the shoulder area but it could also cause numbness and pain all down the arm.
4.Dead Arm. When the arm becomes overused, it may no longer function as it should. More severe dead arm injuries could lead to dislocation.
5.Sprains. Baseball players do a lot of running and many can suffer injury in the legs, knees, and hips. Sprains have to rest to heal. Continuing the activity may lead to a more severe injury like a break of the bone. Elbow sprains are also common in the throwing arm. Ligaments can be strained due to the repetitive motion and impact on the elbow joint.
6.Thrower’s Elbow. This injury and subsequent pain occurs inside the elbow and gradually worsens.
Treating Common Baseball Injuries
There are some things baseball players can do themselves to try to heal from injuries sustained from the sport. Here are a few suggestions:
- Stabilize the affected joint or area by using an orthopaedic support, elastic bandage or splint while playing, if possible, and even when not playing
- Take a break from the sport and rest the injury to let it heal. Maybe start with skipping practices!
- Ice injuries whenever possible to reduce inflammation and swelling
- Elevate the injured area to also help reduce inflammation and swelling
- See the orthopaedic surgeon for treatment advice. He’ll properly diagnose your injury, tell you the severity of it, and share ways to non-surgically and/or surgically treat your injury.
If the above treatment suggestions do not alleviate your pain, give the orthopaedic specialists at Ortho El Paso a call at 915-249-4000. We’ll get you scheduled immediately for a consultation and thorough evaluation of your injury. We are not suggesting you ever just sit on the bench, but we do hope you’ll seek treatment for injuries that cause you pain before they become major problems.
