Baseball/Softball Injury Prevention & Screening Program

Throwing related injuries are becoming an epidemic in youth baseball with a fivefold increase in the number of serious elbow and shoulder injuries in the US since 2000. Upper extremity injuries account for more than half of all injuries occurring in baseball across all competition levels, with shoulder and elbow related injuries comprising 32-35% and 17-58% of injuries respectively. Possible modifiable factors leading to shoulder and elbow injuries include: throwing biomechanics, movement proficiency, strength, coordination and throwing volume.

Consequences of upper extremity injuries in baseball players can be surgery, prolonged time loss from sports, decreased quality of life, financial loss and ultimately retirement from baseball. 

Injury prediction and prevention is notoriously challenging in the throwing athlete as there are many variables across several different domains that can influence injury and re-injury risk. In collaboration with UBC Sports Medicine Physiatrist and ex-national softball team member, Dr. Kaila Holtz, we have created an injury screening tool to help better identify athletes at risk of injury and assist currently injured athletes in their rehabilitation. This comprehensive screen includes a subjective questionnaire, physical assessment, and biomechanics assessment; with data collected in each phase used to create an individualized summary for each athlete to maximize performance and prevent injury.