All Articles by Lindsey Barton Straus, JD

Preventing Pitching Injuries: Observe Pitch Count Limits and Rest Periods

One of the best ways to reduce the risk of overuse injuries for youth pitchers is to strictly observe per game,week, season, and yearly pitch limits.

Preventing Pitching Injuries: Take 3 to 4 Months Off Every Year From Pitching and Overhand Throwing Sports

To reduce the risk of injury, youth baseball pitchers need a period of "active rest" after the baseball season ends and before the next season begins during which they should stay physically active to maintain conditioning but refrain from overhand throwing of any kind

Eating Disorders: Signs and Symptoms

If you suspect your young athlete has or is developing an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, here are the warning signs to look for.

Eating Disorders Affect More Than Half Million Teens, New Study Says

A new government study reports that more than half a million teens have had an eating disorder, most commonly in the form of binge eating disorder and bulimia, and that a majority seek no specific treatment for their eating or weight problems.

Youth Sports Safety Guidelines

The National Athletic Trainers' Association urges parents, coaches, athletes and administrators to work together to prevent youth sports injuries even before an athlete takes to the playing field.

Preventing Pitching Injuries: Curve Ball Debate Continues

Whether young pitchers should delay throwing curve balls to protect against arm injuries has long been the subject of debate.  Despite the fact that baseball is the most widely studied youth sport in the United States, the jury is still out on the role of breaking pitches in overuse injuries.

Preventing Pitching Injuries: Spotting Signs A Pitcher Is Tired

One important way for youth baseball coaches to prevent overuse injuries is to look for signs that the pitcher is tired.  While fatigue, like pain (another early warning sign of overuse injury), is generally difficult to quantify because it is a subjective, a coach can use pitch counts, ball velocity, ball location, pitching mechanics, and strength as guides in determining fatigue.

Pitching Injuries: Risk Factors

If your child is a pitcher, he/she has about a fifty-fifty chance of experiencing pain in his/her elbow or shoulder during his/her baseball career. Not surprisingly, baseball has been the most widely studied youth sport in the United States, so that the risk factors for overuse injuries are well-established.

Post-Concussion Syndrome: When Symptoms Persist

While concussion symptoms usually clear within a week to ten days, in some cases, an athlete's physical, cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral symptoms persist, a condition known as post-concussion syndrome (PCS). 

Warm-Weather Baseball Pitchers At Greater Risk of Shoulder Injuries and Tommy John Surgery, Studies Find

The extra time high school pitchers living in warm-weather climates spend in baseball activities puts them at greater risk of injuries to their pitching shoulders than their cold-weather peers, finds a first-of-its-kind study published in the February 2011 edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine