Softball

Sports Med 2001;31(1):61-73

Fast Pitch Softball Injuries

Meyers MC, Brown BR, Bloom JA.

Department of Sports and Exercise Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon 79016, USA.

The popularity of fast pitch softball in the US and throughout the world is well documented. Along with this popularity, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of injuries. Nearly 52% of cases qualify as major disabling injuries requiring 3 weeks or more of treatment and 2% require surgery. Interestingly, 75% of injuries occur during away games and approximately 31% of traumas occur during nonpositional and conditioning drills. Injuries range from contusions and tendonitis to ligamentous disorders and fractures. Although head and neck traumas account for 4 to 12% of cases, upper extremity traumas account for 23 to 47% of all injuries and up to 19% of cases involve the knee. Approximately 34 to 42% of injuries occur when the athlete collides with another individual or object. Other factors involved include the quality of playing surface, athlete's age and experience level, and the excessive physical demands associated with the sport. Nearly 24% of injuries involve base running and are due to poor judgement, sliding technique, current stationary base design, unorthodox joint and extremity position during ground impact and catching of cleats. The increasing prevalence of overtraining syndrome among athletes has been attributed to an unclear definition of an optimal training zone, poor communication between player and coach, and the limited ability of bone and connective tissue to quickly respond to match the demands of the sport. This has led routinely to arm, shoulder and lumbar instability, chronic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and time loss injuries in 45% of pitching staff during a single season. Specific attention to a safer playing environment, coaching and player education, and sport-specific training and conditioning would reduce the risk, rate and severity of fast pitch traumas. Padding of walls, backstops, rails and dugout areas, as well as minimizing use of indoor facilities, is suggested to decrease the number of collision injuries. Coaches should be cognizant of overtraining, vary day-to-day training routines to decrease repetitive musculoskeletal stress, focus on motor skills with equal emphasis on speed and efficiency of movement, and use drills that reinforce sport-specific, decision making processes to minimize mental mistakes. Conditioning programs that emphasize a combination of power, acceleration, flexibility, technical skill, functional capacity and injury prevention are recommended. Due to the limited body of knowledge presently available on this sport, a greater focus on injury surveillance would provide a clearer picture of injury causation and effective management procedures, leading toward safer participation and successful player development.

Am J Sports Med 2000 May-Jun;28(3):385-91

Sex-Related Injury Patterns Among Selected High School Sports
Powell JW, Barber-Foss KD.
Med Sports Systems, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

This cohort observational study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the incidence of injuries for girls participating in high school sports is greater than that for boys. From 1995 through 1997, players were included in our study if they were listed on the school's varsity team roster for boys' or girls' basketball, boys' or girls' soccer, boys' baseball, or girls' softball. Injuries and opportunities for injury were recorded daily. Certified athletic trainers reported injury and exposure data. Based on 39,032 player-seasons and 8988 reported injuries, the injury rates per 100 players for softball (16.7) and for girls' soccer (26.7) were higher than for baseball (13.2) and boys' soccer (23.4). The knee injury rates per 100 players for girls' basketball (4.5) and girls' soccer (5.2) were higher than for their male counterparts. Major injuries occurred more often in girls' basketball (12.4%) and soccer (12.1%) than in boys' basketball (9.9%) and soccer (10.4%). Baseball players (12.5%) had more major injuries than softball players (7.8%). There was a higher number of surgeries, particularly knee and anterior cruciate ligament surgeries, for female basketball and soccer players than for boys or girls in other sports.

Am J Sports Med 1992 Jan-Feb;20(1):35-7

Injuries to Pitchers in Women's Collegiate Fast-Pitch Softball

Loosli AR, Requa RK, Garrick JG, Hanley E.

Center for Sports Medicine, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco, CA 94109.

An injury survey of eight college softball teams ranked among the top 15 during the 1989 women's NCAA tournament championship by their athletic trainers found 26 injuries and complaints in 20 of 24 players. There were 15 grade I (no time-loss) injuries, all musculotendonous except for a leg contusion and an ankle sprain. The 6 grade II injuries (altered play) were also musculotendonous except for 2 sprains to the hand and wrist. The 5 grade III (stopped play) injuries were somewhat more varied in type and resulted in an average of almost 7 weeks of time lost per injured player. Eighty-two percent of the time-loss injuries (grades II and III) involved the upper extremity. This survey suggests that there are likely to be a significant number of injuries involving loss of time from practice or games among elite women's fast-pitch softball pitchers.

Am J Sports Med 1984 May-Jun;12(3):237-40

Slow-Pitch Softball Injuries

Wheeler BR.

A prospective investigation of slow-pitch softball injuries incurred in Hawaii was undertaken to study the nature of these injuries and analyze their causes. The injured players were involved in league softball with referees. There were 83 athletes and 93 injuries. A retrospective review of all Army softball-related admissions was also done. Thirty-five athletes or 42% were injured while sliding, 29 "foot first" and the remainder "hand first". Twenty-five of 27 ankle injuries caused by sliding included 20 fractures, 3 sprains, and 2 complete closed posterior dislocations. Analysis of these injuries suggests that the injury occurs when the individual uses the base to rapidly decelerate and avoid overrunning the base. Eighty-four percent of the athletes were injured from three mechanisms; 42% from sliding, 25% from "jamming" injuries, and 17% from falls. The only preventable group of injuries appears to be the sliding injuries. Recessing the bases, using "quick release" rather than anchored bases, teaching safer sliding techniques, or eliminating the slide are suggested as means of preventing these injuries.