Guidelines for avoiding arm overuse
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, considered the foremost authority on pitching-related injuries and a director for the American Sports Medicine Institute, spearheaded several studies after noticing a significant rise in the number of young athletes requiring Tommy John surgery. In attempt to offset this epidemic, he proposed guidelines for coaches, players and parents to follow:
Pitch count limits
AgeMax. pitches/gameMax. pitches/week
8-105075
11-1275100
13-1475125
15-1690Two games a week
17-18105Two games a week