So Your Young Son Wants to Pitch in the Major League. By: Dr. Mark Chilton

So your young son wants to pitch in the Major League some day. The secret to failure is burly success. No one who will make it to the big league as a pitcher was very successful pitching at Little League or in Babe Ruth.

There are 1000 ways to throw a baseball, but only one correctly. Youngsters rarely have the physical and mental aptitude to apply correct pitching mechanics. They lack balance, leg strength and shoulder deceleration, to name just a few. Inadequate follow through, throwing the ball across the body or with the hand under the ball in full cocking phase, are more frequently seen problems.

But if they are successful at striking out opponents at a young age, despite poor mechanics, then they will pitch more games and develop more habits until their shoulder and elbow fails. It happens every time. It is not just the coach over pitching the youngster, but the player himself, or parent, or teammate who encourage the youngsters malpresence because of previous success.

To be a successful pitcher at the college level or beyond, don’t pitch.

Learn proper mechanics. Learn to reproduce your release position so as to improve accuracy. Remember, pitching has three important aspects just like real estate. They are location, location, location.

When you do pitch, don’t worry about striking out every opponent. It is probably more important at the early stages of pitching to learn to play defense off the mound. When you do pitch, no curve balls before the age of 17. Just work on locating your fastball and maybe a changeup.

Never pitch more than one game per week, never more than 50 pitches per game for little league and 70 pitches per game for older Babe Ruth or high school players. When not pitching, don’t play catcher – the shoulder has only so many throws in it, save them for later.

Plus, don’t play on three different travel teams and don’t play year round. Be involved in other activates, especially your school work.

By age 17, your son should have reached the physical and mental maturity to have developed and maintain good pitching mechanics. His shoulder decelerators are strong enough to prevent shoulder and elbow problems and he is probably ready to throw a proper curve ball, not that risk twisting Little League curve.

For more information contact me, Dr. Mark Chilton or Randy Krebs, P.T. for group sessions in pitching mechanics.

Is Your Foot Fracture an Early sign of Osteoporosis? by: Damian Roussel, D.P.M

Many patients are unaware that unexplained foot pain or foot fracture can actually be an early sign of osteoporosis, a bone thinning disease that is blamed for 1.5 million bone fractures each year.

Osteoporosis is referred to as the “silent crippler” since it often progresses without any symptoms or isn’t diagnosed until a person experiences pain from a bone fracture. This is true because bones with osteoporosis are weakened and normal weight-bearing actions like walking can cause the bones in the foot to break. In fact I see many patients who visit my office suffering from foot pain, who come to find out they actually have a stress fracture without having experienced an injury.

While osteoporosis is most commonly seen in women over the age of 50, younger people and men are also affected. Early symptoms can include increased pain with walking accompanied by swelling. Often times I notice patients don’t seek treatments for their symptoms for weeks or even months thinking the pain will go away.

My advice is, don’t ignore foot pain of any type. Early intervention can make all the difference in your treatment and recovery. If you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, it’s important to protect your feet from stress fractures. I recommend you wear shoes that provide good support and cushioning, such as athletic running shoes. If you are suffering from unexplained foot pain, don’t ignore it. Call our office for a complete evaluation.