Sports Warning

I saw with alarm as one of my boys limping as he left the playing field during a scrimmage. Turns out he'd pulled his back due to tight hamstrings. Turns out it happened days earlier and no one bothered to tell me! We spent some time working on stretches. We went over the right way to warm up those muscles. And it got me to thinking: As parents, it's hard to be on top of every aspect of our children's lives, but it is important to keep an eye on just how much wear and tear they are being put through on the playing field.

Does your child play softball? Does he pitch? The American Sports Medicine Institute recommends that 9 and 10 year olds throw no more than 50 pitches a game. Eleven to 14 year olds should be limited to just 75 pitches. And when in doubt, err on the side of being conservative. And keep the pitches to fastballs ONLY. According to sports medicine specialists, those specialized pitches like breaking balls, curveballs and sliders put undue stress on growing arms and increase the risk of injuries.