Rate of Upper Extremity Injury in High School Baseball Pitchers Who Played Catcher as a Secondary Position

Context:  Many high school pitchers play another position after they have finished pitching for the day or on their rest days from pitching. Because of the cumulative demands on the arm, pitchers who also play catcher may have a greater risk of developing a throwing-related shoulder or elbow injury. Objective:  To compare the rate of throwing-related upper extremity injuries between high school baseball pitchers who also played catcher as a secondary position and those who did not play catcher. Design:  Prospective cohort study. Setting:  Field laboratory. Patients or Other Participants:  A total of 384 male high school baseball pitchers were recruited from 51 high school teams. Pitchers who reported their secondary position as catcher were classified into the pitcher/catcher group and those who did not report playing catcher as a secondary position were classified into the other group. Main Outcome Measure(s):  Participants completed a demographic questionnaire preseason and then athlete participation an...