Injury Prevalence among Young Elite Baseball Players

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Youth Sports Injury Epidemiology

Background:

• Injury profiles in elite youth baseball players are not well-defined.
• Understanding age and position-specific injury patterns is crucial for prevention.
• Previous research has not clearly delineated injury distribution in young Korean baseball athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the injury profiles of young Korean baseball players.
• To analyze injury distribution based on player position and age group.
• To identify risk factors associated with specific injuries in youth baseball.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 271 elite youth baseball players aged 8-16 years.
• Categorization into elementary school (ES) and middle school (MS) groups.
• Collection of demographic, training, and injury data.

Main Results:

• Elementary school players most frequently injured their elbows.
• Middle school players sustained more lower back injuries, except infielders (elbows).
• Middle schoolers showed significantly higher odds of lower back, shoulder, and knee injuries.

Conclusions:

• Injury patterns differ significantly between elementary and middle school baseball players.
• Excessive practice and insufficient rest during the middle school growth spurt increase lower back injury risk.
• Targeted injury prevention strategies are needed for different age groups and positions in youth baseball.