Your Kid’s Arm Didn’t Break on One Throw—It Broke Over Years
Most parents think injuries happen in a moment. But in youth baseball, serious injuries are often the result of chronic overuse that started years earlier—before bones were even fully developed. In this Sore to Soaring Podcast episode, Coach Leo Young and Dr. Jason Zaremski (UF Health Sports Medicine) explain how year-round play and early overuse are setting young athletes up for serious breakdowns in high school. Your Kid’s Arm Didn’t Break on One Throw—It Broke Over Years When a young athlete finally tears something, parents often ask: Was it that one pitch? But the reality is far more uncomfortable: it wasn’t one throw. It was the thousands of throws that came before it—years of overuse, often starting at age 9 or 10. Coach Leo Young and Dr. Jason Zaremski, MD, dig into why chronic overuse leads to serious injury, especially when kids train year-round before their bodies are ready.
INJURY PREVENTION & PERFORMANCE BUILDING STRONGER ATHLETES
Coach Leo Young
5/28/20252 min read
Growth Plates Are the Weak Link
A child’s skeleton is still developing well into their teenage years.
“Until your child’s bones ossify—when the growth plates harden and close—they’re vulnerable,” explains Dr. Zaremski.
For most boys, that doesn’t fully happen until 16 or 17 years old. Until then, the growth plate is the weak link—and it’s often where problems begin.
If a kid is playing 10–11 months a year from age 9 through 15, those growth plates are absorbing force and stress they’re not ready for. There may not be a dramatic pop or a single injury moment—but the damage is happening quietly, year after year.
How many months a year does your child play baseball—and do you build in real recovery time? Drop your answer in the video comments.
Why Just a 2-Week Shutdown Isn’t the Answer
“I’ll tell a parent their kid has shoulder or elbow tendinitis,” says Dr. Z. “We shut them down for two weeks, then restart—no big deal. But if that same thing happens year after year, it doesn’t just go away.”
Over time, those chronic micro-injuries build up. Once the athlete reaches mid- to late high school, their bones finally mature—but by then, they’re throwing harder. That’s when the real damage surfaces.
“That’s when they stop seeing me,” Dr. Z says, “and they start seeing my surgical colleague.”
It’s the Structure, Not Just the Schedule
Playing year-round can be managed safely—but most programs don’t do it right.
“I don’t know how good the training was. I don’t know how structured it was,” Dr. Z admits. “But if that year-round workload was structured better, it could’ve helped.”
Throwing volume, position changes, recovery planning, and actual time off all need to be part of the plan—not an afterthought. Otherwise, a kid who looks fine at 13 could be headed straight for a season-ending injury by 17.
Key Takeaways for Parents and Coaches
✅ Growth plates don’t harden until 16–17 years old—earlier overuse causes hidden damage
✅ Chronic tendinitis is a warning sign—not just a one-off issue
✅ Playing year-round isn’t the problem—it’s the lack of structured recovery
✅ Real injuries often show up years after the damage started
✅ A two-week shutdown won’t undo two years of poor training
How Sore to Soaring Supports Safe Development
At Sore to Soaring, we help players and families build performance with a long-term view. We teach parents how skeletal maturity, structured training, and recovery windows all affect injury risk. Because we’re not just trying to win 12U tournaments—we’re building healthy athletes for life.
Support our work at: www.SoreToSoaring.org
Disclaimer
The views shared in this article are for informational purposes only and do not represent an endorsement by Lupos Initiative Inc., DBA Sore to Soaring. Always consult a qualified professional before implementing any training, recovery, or medical plan. No affiliation or compensation exists between Sore to Soaring and any for-profit entity mentioned.
To learn more about Dr. Jason Zaremski and UF Health Sports Medicine, visit:
https://ufhealth.org
Hashtags
#YouthBaseballInjuries #GrowthPlateDamage #YearRoundBaseball
#SoreToSoaring #LongTermAthleteDevelopment #BaseballRecovery
#ThrowingInjuries #PitchingHealth #BaseballOveruse #TrainSmart
