The Curveball and Young Pitchers
A Biomechanical Comparison of Youth Baseball Pitches: Is the Curveball Potentially Harmful? Shouchen Dun, Jeremy Loftice, Glenn S. Fleisig, David Kingsley and James R. Andrews. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36(4) 2008.
Although the curveball has been considered to be a dangerous pitch for young pitchers, no biomechanical studies have been conducted among youth pitchers comparing different types of pitches. The investigators studied 29 pitchers (approximate age 12.5 years). Each pitcher threw 5 fastballs, 5 curveballs, and 5 change-ups with maximum effort in an indoor laboratory setting. The study compared elbow varus torque, elbow flexion torque, elbow proximal force, shoulder internal rotation torque and shoulder proximal force. "In general, elbow and shoulder loads were greatest in the fastball and least in the change- up." Therefore, the curveball may not be more harmful than the fastball for young pitchers. This finding is consistent with other recent epidemiologic research indicating that "the amount of pitching is a stronger risk factor than the type of pitches thrown.
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