Common Baseball Injuries – Injuries in Baseball to Be Aware Of

Sports are inherently dangerous activities, even the most docile non-contact sports. This is because no matter the sport, you use your muscles, and with improper technique or bad physique, things can get bad very quickly.

On the other hand of the spectrum, professionals practice their routines to the extreme level. Anything done to the extreme invites injuries and accidents. Injuries in professional sports are common and baseball is no exception.

From torn muscles to sprained ankles, here is everything you should know about common baseball injuries.

Rotator Cuff Tears

A rotator cuff is essentially a bunch of tendons and muscles which stabilize the shoulder joint. As you can imagine, swinging a bat involves a lot of shoulder action, not to mention pitching. With lots of usages, particularly bad technique, micro-tears can happen in a muscle, which, when not rested and treated properly, can grow into a proper tear, which can put an athlete out of action for the rest of the season.

Many other athletes can suffer from this, in sports like tennis, golf, any sport where there is a lot of intense shoulder movement. 

Labrum Tears

The labrum, another one of the many shoulder injuries, is cartilage which helps stabilize the bones, or rather, the shoulder. Torn labrums are very painful and pitchers often experience this. It starts with micro-tears, but after a while, things can get really dire.

Minor tears can be treated with little to no consequence, but a major tear requires surgery which can put a player out for an entire season. Some never properly recover from such an injury.

Meniscus Tears

The meniscus, cartilage which helps the femur and the tibia not crash into one another, also known as the cartilage which can bother most athletes, from tennis players, football players, basketball players, runners, to baseball players.

Knees suffer a lot of action in any sport where there is a lot of running, direction changing, and high impact drops. Meniscus tears are painful and can put one out for a while, not just from sports, but even walking, depending on the severity of the injury.

Ulnar Collateral Ligament – Elbow Injuries

The UCL is a ligament that helps stabilize the elbow. Elbows also get abused during baseball matches, mostly due to hard swings and pitches. Minor injuries can be tended, as the other ones, but major ones also require surgery.

Severe pain will be experienced in case of a major tear. 

Wrists and Hands – Impact Trauma

During hard slides, falls, or catches, the wrists, and hands can suffer a lot of trauma. If not exercised and stretched properly, and with enough time, the wrists and hands can get injured. Depending on the part of the wrist or hand which gets injured, the pain and recovery needed will vary. 

These are some of the most common baseball injuries. There are more, depending on the player and their practice routine, their overall physique, and of course, genetics and luck. Train smart and play to endure, not to burn out.