The Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine Newsletter
The Institute Update
Prevention Continues: Safety the Goal
INSIDE
Greetings
Research Update
Publications & the Media
Symposium & Auction
Presentations
Awards
Letter
from the Director
All
of us at The Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine hope you and your
families are enjoying the winter months. Remember to play it safe by
continuing your conditioning program throughout the year.
The Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine (IPSM) led by members of our Board of Directors and Advisory Council, have continued to work on the forefront of injury prevention and health care cost containment issues. Our study entitled: Prevention of Commotio Cordis in Baseball: An Evaluation of Chest Protectors, authored by Dr. David Viano, Dr. Cindy Bir, and Dr. David Janda, has recently been accepted for publication in The Journal of Trauma.
The number one reason for fatality in children age 5-14 in sport is related to impact with a baseball to a student athlete’s chest.
As most of our readers
are aware, the Institute has been on the forefront of injury prevention
techniques within the sports of softball and baseball. Specifically, the
Institute has taken a leading role in research conducted on the issue of
chest impact fatalities in the sports of softball and baseball.
Eighty-eight deaths have been documented from 1973 to 1995 in the sport of
baseball. Of these fatalities, 68 were related to baseball impacts. As you are well aware, our first series of studies on this
matter, conducted by Dr. David Viano and Dr.
David Janda, conclusively have shown that the softer heavier baseballs and
chest protectors for batters and pitchers were not effective at reducing
injuries and potential fatality. It
was the finding of this previous series of studies, t
hat when the softer
heavier baseball impacted the chest, it stuck to