New Youth Baseball Safety Recommendations Play Ball Safely, With
New Baseball Guidelines From Pediatricians Feb. 28, 2012 -- As
spring training begins, little leaguers should take a lesson
from the pros and take care to avoid common baseball injuries.
New safety guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics
call for youth baseball coaches and parents to be aware of the
potential for overuse and traumatic injuries among young
baseball players and take steps to avoid them. According to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 110,000 baseball and
softball-related injuries were treated in U.S. emergency rooms
nationwide in 2007 among children ages 5 to 14. Children between
the ages of 11 and 14 account for the biggest proportion of
injuries annually. Although youth baseball is one of the safest
high school sports, with a low rate of injury compared to other
sports, researchers say the severity of baseball-related
injuries is relatively high. For example, broken bones or
fractures account for a much la