Systematic Review of Clinical and Performance Outcome Measures Reported for Softball Pitchers

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Athletic Training

Background:

• Fastpitch softball pitchers, particularly adolescents and collegiate athletes, face a high risk of overuse injuries.
• Clinical and performance outcome measures are crucial for assessing injury risk and determining return-to-play readiness.
• Existing literature lacks standardized protocols for evaluating softball pitchers.

Conclusions:

• The current literature demonstrates a lack of standardized clinical and performance outcome measures for evaluating softball pitchers.
• Standardization of measurement protocols is recommended to improve the consistency and comparability of research findings.
• Addressing these gaps will enhance the ability to accurately assess injury risk and guide return-to-play decisions for softball pitchers.