Association Between Parental Understanding of Pitch Smart Guidelines and Youth Baseball Player Injuries.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric sports medicine
• Youth baseball injury prevention
• Biomechanics of pitching

Background:

• Youth baseball injuries are increasing despite existing prevention research and guidelines like Pitch Smart.
• Further investigation is needed to determine if adherence to current throwing guidelines reduces injury rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess parental awareness of Pitch Smart guidelines.
• Evaluate parental adherence to Pitch Smart guidelines.
• Determine if adherence to guidelines correlates with decreased injuries in youth baseball players.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing an anonymous, internet-based survey of 853 parents of adolescent baseball players in the midwestern US.
• The survey included 15 items assessing knowledge of Pitch Smart guidelines.
• Statistical analyses included Student t-tests, chi-square analysis, and binary logistic regression to identify injury predictors.

Main Results:

• Parents of players with injury history demonstrated lower knowledge of Pitch Smart guidelines (55.44%) compared to those without injury history (62.14%).
• Players with injury history had fewer correct answers regarding guidelines (8.03 vs. 9.17).
• Showcase participation was a significant predictor of player injury (P = .001) after controlling for age.

Conclusions:

• Pitchers face a higher risk of injury compared to non-pitchers.
• Parental knowledge and adherence to Pitch Smart guidelines are associated with a lower likelihood of player injury.
• Excessive participation in showcases is a significant risk factor for youth baseball injuries, independent of age.