As the parent of a college baseball player, you’re always looking for ways to help your athlete stay healthy and avoid injuries.
One area that is particularly important for baseball players is hip health. Because of the repetitive nature of the sport, baseball athletes are susceptible to hip injuries that can sideline them for the whole season. As you know, this can be extremely upsetting for the player and their team.
While these types of injuries can be difficult to prevent, there are some strategies discussed below that you can use to help your athlete maintain optimum hip mobility and reduce their risk of injury.
Common Hip Injuries In Baseball Players
There are a few hip injuries that are common among baseball players, but here are the three most common ones.
The first is hip impingement, which is when the femur rubs against the hip socket. This can happen when the player swings the bat or throws the ball.
The second is hip tendinitis, which is when the tendon around the hip joint becomes inflamed. This is often caused by overuse and can be very painful.
The third is hip bursitis when the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the hip joint become irritated and inflamed. This can be caused by repetitive motions or direct trauma to the hip area.
Preventative Strategies To Stop Hip Injuries
Although some hip injuries can’t be avoided, there are some preventative strategies that you could try to increase the strength and mobility of your athlete’s hips to make them more resistant to injury.
Strengthening Exercises
Intense on-field training and practice regimens can lead to overuse injuries which can be quite painful.
However, to reduce the risk of hip injuries, strength work around the hip joint should become a staple in any baseball athlete’s workout program.
Strengthening exercises for the hip can include lateral band walks, hip thrusts, single-leg hip bridges, and side-lying hip abduction drills; each of these exercises helps to target the muscles around the hip joint and provide them with extra stability as well as improved range of motion.
Implementing hip-strengthening exercises into your program is a great way to stay healthy while maximizing on-field performance.
Footwear For Stability
When practicing on the baseball field, hip stability is key to avoiding hip injuries. Wearing the correct footwear can make all the difference between a beneficial practice and an uncomfortable one.
For any baseball athlete, hip stability is essential for optimum performance and safety on the field. It helps you quickly shift your weight from side to side, swing a bat, and pivot when needed.
Therefore, it is important to wear the correct footwear to protect from hip injuries and help maintain hip stability.
Baseball cleats can help provide the ankle support needed to reduce hip-related injuries such as hip abduction or hip flexor strain.
Overtraining
Baseball athletes must be vigilant in knowing the signs and symptoms of overtraining to avoid hip injuries.
It’s essential to take time away from baseball-related activities intermittently and try something low-impact that will still build strength but not put unnecessary strain on the hips.
Activities like cycling, swimming, yoga or Pilates can build strength without overtaxing hips or other body parts. Implementing these strategies into a healthy training program can help ensure that baseball athletes don’t suffer from hip injuries due to overtraining.
Proper Warm-Up Techniques
Proper warm-up techniques are integral for any baseball athlete to ensure their bodies and muscles are ready for practice and games.
Warming up is important because not only does it reduce the risk of hip injuries, but it also helps boost performance.
Taking the time to properly warm up before each practice and game should be a priority for every baseball athlete.
Stretching dynamically can improve hip mobility which is critical in helping with hip stability while running and performing quick movements on the field.
Taking just five to seven minutes to get loose can mean the difference between having a successful, injury-free season and being sidelined by hip pain.
Is Your Athlete Season Ready?
You may think your college athlete is ready for the upcoming baseball season, they’re performing well at training and on the field, but there’s that tiny doubt in your mind that there could be something off…
I have the perfect solution to your worries, a season readiness assessment. During this assessment, you will be able to get your athlete a full check to make sure they aren’t going to be prone to injury, and haven’t got any existing or previous injuries that are going to impact their performance.
You can also talk to an expert physical therapist and get a professional opinion putting your mind to rest!
If you think a season readiness assessment would ease your worries, you can arrange one by filling in our simple web form or give us a call at (609) 933-9922 if you would prefer to speak to a member of the team on the telephone.
More Free Resources For Preventing Baseball Injuries
If you’re not sure you’re ready to come and see us in the clinic yet, that’s okay! Here are free resources to help you and your child prevent shoulder pain at home.
Download Our Free Sports Injury Report – Secret Recovery Strategies That Only The Pro Athletes Know And Use
Read Our Blog – How To Eliminate Baseball Shoulder Pain For The Upcoming Baseball Season
Read Our Blog – Why Am I Getting Shoulder Pain Throwing?
