Optimizing Approaches to Pitch-Related Injury Prevention by Coaches in Little League
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v16i4.833Keywords:
Overhead Athlete, Baseball, Youth Sports, Behaviour, AttitudeAbstract
Background: In Curaçao, youth baseball holds importance in the social fabric of the community. Keeping youth players healthy provides social and economic opportunities. Pitchers are at risk for repetitive throwing arm injuries. While research suggests injury risk can be reduced, few strategies are translated into practice. Coaches play a pivotal role in youth player safety, yet little is known about how or why they do not implement injury prevention. Purpose: To create inclusive first steps towards pitch-related injury prevention informed by coaches’ attitude, experience, and actions in Curaçao. Methods: Online focus group discussions with 7 coaches contributed to a confirmatory survey with a 22% response rate. Results: Thematic analysis generated three general dimensions of attitude towards risk reduction, action towards risk reduction, and contextual factors, and these contained five themes: (a) coaches’ knowledge and decision-making directly influence risk reduction, (b) coaches feel primarily responsible for the health and safety of their players, (c) coaches target risk factors to minimize injury, (d) coaches acknowledge the protective role of strength training and recovery in injury prevention, and (e) environmental and organizational factors affect risk reduction strategies. Survey results demonstrated strong agreement for nine themes, while three themes require further investigation. Perceived injury prevention barriers include insufficient training, lack of resources, pressure to win, and poor stakeholder communication. Conclusion: A multifactorial injury prevention approach is needed to address the specific learning needs of coaches. Implementation must consider the location-specific factors influencing coaches’ behaviour.
References
Ageberg, E., Bunke, S., Lucander, K., Nilsen, P., & Donaldson, A. (2019). Facilitators to support the implementation of injury prevention training in youth handball: A concept mapping approach. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 29(2), 275-285. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13323
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Atanda, A., Averill, L. W., Wallace, M., Niiler, T., Nazarian, L. N., & Ciccotti, M. G. (2016). Factors related to increased ulnar collateral ligament thickness on stress sonography of the elbow in asymptomatic youth and adolescent baseball pitchers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(12), 3179–3187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546516661010
Bahr, R., & Krosshaug, T. (2005). Understanding injury mechanisms: A key component of preventing injuries in sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(6), 324–329. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.018341
Bastable, S. B., Sopczyk, D., Gramet, P., Jacobs, K., & Braungart, M. M. (2020). Health professional as educator: Principles of teaching and learning (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Braun, V., Clarke, V., Boulton, E., Davey, L., & McEvoy, C. (2021). The online survey as a qualitative research tool. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(6), 641–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1805550
Colorafi, K. J., & Evans, B. (2016). Qualitative descriptive methods in health science research. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 9(4), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586715614171
Emery, C.A., Hagel, B., & Morrongiello, B.A. (2006). Injury prevention in child and adolescent sport: Whose responsibility is it? Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 16(6), 514–521. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jsm.0000251179.90840.58
Farooqi, A. S., Lee, A., Abreu, E., Talwar, D., & Maguire, K. (2021). Epidemiology of pediatric baseball and softball player injuries. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 9(12), 232596712110525 https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671211052585
Fazarale, J. J., Magnussen, R. A., Pedroza, A., & Kaeding, C. C. (2012). Knowledge of and compliance with pitch count recommendations. Sports Health, 4(3), 202–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738111435632
Finch, C. F. (2006). A new framework for research leading to sports injury prevention. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9(1-2), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2006.02.009
Fleisig, G. S., Andrews, J. R., Dillman, C. J., & Escamilla, R. F. (1995). Kinetics of baseball pitching with implications about injury mechanisms. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 23(2), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/036354659502300218
Fleisig, G. S., Andrews, J. R., Cutter, G., Weber, A.C., Loftice, J., McMichael, C., Hassell, N., & Lyman, S. (2011). Risk of serious injury for young baseball pitchers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(2), 253–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546510384224
Fleisig, G. S., & Andrews, J. R. (2012). Prevention of elbow injuries in youth baseball pitchers. Sports Health, 4(5), 419–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738112454828
Greiner, J. J., Trotter, C. A., Walczak, B. E., Hetzel, S., & Baer, G. S. (2021). Pitching behaviors in youth baseball: Comparison with the pitch smart guidelines. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 9(11), 23259671211050127. https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671211050127
Hoffmann, T., Bennett, S., & Del Mar, C. (2017). Evidence-based practice across the health professions (3rd ed.). Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2015). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (5th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
McGlashan, A., Verrinder, G., & Verhagen, E. (2018). Working towards more effective implementation, dissemination and scale-up of lower-limb injury-prevention programs: Insights from community Australian football coaches. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(2), 351. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020351
Minnig, M. C., Hawkinson, L., Root, H. J., Driban, J. B., DiStefano, L. J., Callahan, L. F., Ambrose, K., Spang, J. T., & Golightly, Y. M. (2022). Barriers and facilitators to the adoption and implementation of evidence-based injury prevention training programmes: A narrative review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 8(3), e001374. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001374
Møller, M., Zebis, M. K., Myklebust, G., Lind, M., Wedderkopp, N., & Bekker, S. (2021). “Is it fun and does it enhance my performance?” key implementation considerations for injury prevention programs in youth handball. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24(11), 1136-1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.04.017
Norcross, M. F., Johnson, S. T., Bovbjerg, V. E., Koester, M. C., & Hoffman, M. A. (2016). Factors influencing high school coaches’ adoption of injury prevention programs. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(4), 299–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.03.009
Olsen, S. J., Fleisig, G. S., Dun, S., Loftice, J., & Andrews, J. R. (2006). Risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent baseball pitchers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(6), 905–912. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546505284188
Padua, D. A., Frank, B., Donaldson, A., de la Motte, S., Cameron, K. L., Beutler, A. I., DiStefano, L. J., & Marshall, S. W. (2014). Seven steps for developing and implementing a preventive training program: Lessons learned from JUMP-ACL and beyond. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 33(4), 615-632. https://doi.org/10/1016/j.csm.2014.06.012
Pamias-Velázquez, K. J., Figueroa-Negrón, M. M., Tirado-Crespo, J., & Mulero-Portela, A. L. (2016). Compliance with injury prevention measures in youth pitchers. Sports Health, 8(3), 274–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738116644245
Pitch smart. (n.d.). MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved January 16, 2023, from https://www.mlb.com/pitch-smart
Rabiee, F. (2004). Focus-group interview and data analysis. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 63(4), 655–660. https://doi.org/10.1079/PNS2004399
Root, H. J., Frank, B. S., Denegar, C. R., Casa, D. J., Gregorio, D. I., Mazerolle, S. M., & DiStefano, L. J. (2019). Application of a preventive training program implementation framework to youth soccer and basketball organizations. Journal of Athletic Training, 54(2), 182-191. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-375-17
Sagas, M., Cunningham, G. B., & Pastore, D.L. (2006). Predicting head coaching intentions of male and female assistant coaches: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Sex Roles, 54(9), 695–705. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9035-x
Sakata, J., Nakamura, E., Suzuki, T., Suzukawa, M., Akaike, A., Shimizu, K., & Hirose, N. (2017). Efficacy of a prevention program for medial elbow injuries in youth baseball players. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(2), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517738003
Sakata, J., Nakamura, E., Suzuki, T., Suzukawa, M., Akeda, M., Yamazaki, T., Ellenbecker, T. S., Hirose, N. (2019). Throwing injuries in youth baseball players: Can a prevention program help? A randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 47(11), 2709–2716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546519861378
Saunders, N., Otago, L., Romiti, M., Donaldson, A., White, P., & Finch, C. F. (2010). Coaches' perspectives on implementing an evidence-informed injury prevention programme in junior community netball. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(15), 1128–1132. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2009.069039
Verhagen, E., & Bolling, C. (2018). We dare to ask new questions. Are we also brave enough to change our approaches? Translational Sports Medicine, 1(1), 54–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/tsm2.8
Yukutake, T., Yamada, M., & Aoyama, T. (2013). A survey examining the correlations between Japanese little league baseball coaches’ knowledge of and compliance with pitch count recommendations and player elbow pain. Sports Health, 5(3), 239–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738113480341
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Luke Cattet, Lesley Bainbridge
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Terms of Publication
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada’s right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The Contributor (author(s)) represents and guarantees that the Contributor is the sole proprietor of the work and the Contributor has full power to make this Agreement and grant that the work does not infringe the copyright or other proprietary right of any other person; and the work contains no libellous or other unlawful matter and makes no improper invasion of the privacy of any other person. The Contributor also represents and is responsible for the accuracy of the work.
- The Contributor will read, correct, and return promptly galleys and page proofs to the Editor (or designate). The Contributor will be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of these corrections. If the Contributor does not return galleys and page proofs within the schedule agreed upon with the Editor (or designate), the Publisher may proceed without the Contributor corrections.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permissions and letters of agreement for all matter contained in the work that is protected by existing copyright, paying any permission fees for the use of text or illustrations controlled by others, and furnishing the Publisher with written evidence of the copyright owner’s authorization to use the material.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permission for inclusion of any photographic materials involving a human subject, and provide the Publisher with written evidence of the subject’s authorization to use this material. In the case of subjects who have not reached the age of majority, the Contributor agrees to obtain and furnish the Publisher with written permission from the parent and/or legal guardian.
- The Contributor may draw on and refer to material in the work in preparing other articles for publication in scholarly and professional journals and papers for delivery at professional meetings, provided that credit is given to the work and to the Publisher.
- This agreement may not be changed unless the Contributor and the Publisher agree to the change by means of a formal addendum signed by the Contributor and the Publisher’s representative.
- This agreement shall be construed and governed according to the laws of the province of British Columbia and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, their heirs, successors, assigns, and personal representatives. Should any formal proceedings related to this agreement be brought, such formal proceeding may be brought only in the province of British Columbia.
By submitting an article to the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada the Contributor has accepted and agreed to all terms outlined in the copyright notice.
