Sports-specific concerns in the young athlete: Baseball

The sport of baseball is played by millions of children across America and around the world, Although generally considered a safe activity, it is esti mated that there are over 100,000 acute baseball injuries yearly in the 5- to 14-year age range in the United States, many of which present to the eme rgency department. Acute injuries often involve ball impact to the face and hands; baseball is the leading cause of sport-related eye injury, Ball imp act particularly to the chest results in a small but steady number of fatal ities each year, many of which are widely publicized events, In addition to acute injury, many young baseball players are affected by chronic and acut e conditions of the elbow, In this article, we review the history, epidemio logy, and common injury patterns that are specific to baseball. Case report s are included, as well as a section on the physical examination of the elb ow.