Spring is just a few short days away, and there’s one sport that the season always brings with it: baseball. Major League Baseball is about to kick into gear, but that’s not the only league that will soon be starting up. All across the country, youth baseball leagues are also in the offing, which means it’s time to get your children prepared.
When it comes to baseball safety, a lot of attention gets paid to throwing mechanics, and rightfully so. Pitchers are especially at risk for injuries attributable to overuse. The risk increases if players are subjected to year-round regimens that don’t allow them to get a necessary rest period or to take part in other sports that allow for well-rounded development.
While certainly important to understand, this isn’t the only danger posed to players. Although perhaps not quite as common as they would be in football, concussions pose a very real threat to players in all facets of the game.
A new report out of Philadelphia examines the concussion threat posed by baseball. The article seems to have been prompted by the upcoming MLB rule that prohibits a player who is running the bases from crashing directly into the catcher in an attempt to dislodge the ball. This will be the first year of existence for this rule, which is designed to ward off some of the serious injuries that might otherwise occur as a result of such an unprotected collision.
As that same article rightly points out, though, it’s not just catchers who are at risk for concussions. The game of baseball as a whole leaves myriad opportunities for potential injuries. A risk is posed to anyone who gets up to bat. One errant pitch can do some serious damage. Even if a helmet is being worn, the reverberations from a pitch traveling as fast as a speeding car can’t be underestimated. Coming the other way, a line drive can harm any fielders who can’t get their gloves up in time to catch the ball.
The problem with baseball is that concussion fears are not easily assuaged. After all, no one in the field is wearing a helmet, and the jury is out on if a helmet worn by a batter can offer adequate protection. Therefore, attention must be turned to making sure any player who does suffer a hit to the head is pulled from the game and receives the necessary medical attention. Have a substitute baserunner take their place while they receive a check-up from a professional who can gauge whether a concussion is likely. Oftentimes, this will require a head x-ray and a visit to a qualified doctor.
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