Health Conditions, Substance Use, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life in Current and Former Baseball Players

A Comparison of Pitching Biomechanics and Sport Specialization in High School Pitchers

Background

The prevalence of sport specialization in high school athletes continues to rise, particularly among baseball players. Previous research has focused on the incidence of injury among specialized and non-specialized athletes but has yet to examine the level of sport specialization and pitching biomechanics.

Hypotheses/Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in pitching volume and biomechanics between low-, moderate-, and high-level specialized baseball pitchers. It was hypothesized that high-level specialized pitchers would have the most pitching volume within the current and previous years while low-level specialized pitchers would exhibit the least amount. The second hypothesis states that kinematics and kinetics commonly associated with performance and injury risk would differ between low-, moderate-, and high-level specialized pitchers.

Study Design

Case-Control Study.

Methods

Thirty-six high school baseball pitchers completed a custom sport specialization questionnaire before participating in a three-dimensional pitching motion analysis. Sport specialization was based off current guidelines and categorized as low-, moderate-, and high-level specialized based upon self-reported outcomes. Pitchers then threw ≈10 fastballs from a mound engineered to professional specifications. Data averaged across fastballs was used for biomechanics variables. Key pitching biomechanical and pitching volume variables were compared between low-, moderate-, and high-level specialized pitchers.

Results

High-level specialized pitchers were older (p = 0.003), had larger body mass (p = 0.05) and BMI (p = 0.045), and threw faster (p = 0.01) compared to low-level specialized pitchers. Pitching volume and pitching biomechanics were similar across groups.

Conclusions

Pitching biomechanics were similar across groups, although high-level specialized pitchers threw with significantly higher throwing velocity compared to low-level pitchers. The low amount of pitching volume throughout the season may be responsible for the lack of additional observed differences. Further research should examine the relationship between pitching biomechanics, upper extremity strength and flexibility, and sport specialization.

Level of Evidence

Level III.

Sleep and Mental Health Issues in Current and Former Athletes: A Mini Review

Sleep and mental health are important aspects of human health that work concurrently. However, sleep and mental health disorders are often overlooked and undiagnosed in sport due to the negative stigma associated with them. Evidence suggests that athletes are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and sleep problems. Internal and external pressures contribute to psychological distress. Variable competition times, travel and stress are detrimental to sleep quality. Retirement from sport can deteriorate sleep and psychological wellbeing, particularly for those who retired involuntarily and identify strongly with their athletic role. When untreated, these issues can manifest into a range of clinical disorders. This is concerning, not only for compromised athletic performance, but for general health and wellbeing beyond sport. Previous research has focussed on sleep and health independently among currently competing, or former, athletes. To date, no research has comprehensively assessed and compared sleep complaints and mental health issues between these two cohorts. Moreover, research has failed to obtain data across a variety of different competition levels, sports, and genders, leaving the current scope of the literature narrow. Comorbid conditions (e.g., concussion history, obesity), ex-college athletes, and mental health has been the focus of existing literature post-retirement. Future research would benefit from employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to comprehensively assess the prevalence and severity of sleep and mental health disorders across current and retired athletes. Research outcomes would inform education strategies, safeguarding athletes from these issues by reducing negative stigmas associated with help-seeking in sport and ultimately increase self-guided treatment.