A couple of recent studies note kids playing baseball feel pressure from parents or coaches to play through arm pain, and many parents are unaware how to reduce the risk of injury, reports Health Day.
Christopher S. Ahmad, MD, professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in New York is the co-author of one study, where he and colleagues surveyed 203 healthy players between ages eight to 18. Forty-six percent of the players said they had been encouraged to continue playing with arm pain, reports Health Day.
The second study focused on 60 parents of pitchers between the ages of nine to 19, where researchers found just over half of parents were not aware of safe pitching guidelines and did not monitor their child's pitch count, reports Health Day.
"Kids are playing harder and longer in more leagues than ever before," said Paul Saluan, MD, director of pediatric and adolescent sports medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, to Health Day. "Kids also are not getting enough rest in between episodes of pitching, which may lead to insufficient time to heal smaller stress injuries. Over time, these smaller injuries add up."
The studies will be presented March 24, and have yet to be published.
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