How to stay fit


Crash Dummy Kids Play Baseball

In 1998, more than 91,000 children andthinking about using helmets all around, not
adolescents ages 5 to 14 were treated injust in the batting box. Another study of
hospital emergency rooms for baseballsports equipment utilized crash dummies to
injuries, and nearly 26,000 children andanalyze the baseball injuries and deaths from
adolescents ages 5 to 14 were treated forbeing hit in the chest. A previous study
softball-related injuries. Baseball also hasreported in the Clinic Journal of Sports
the highest fatality rate among sports forMedicine (1992) studying protective sports
children and adolescents ages 5 to 14, withequipment had found that chest protectors and
three to four persons dying from baseballsofter baseballs provide no protection
injuries each year. This is sobering to weagainst death from chest impact. The purpose
parents who grew up playing baseball on aof the new study evaluated current protective
nearby vacant lot. Sports equipmentsports equipment that could favorably modify
manufacturers are trying to address ourthe incidence of baseball chest impact
concerns about the safety of our kids, andfatalities. A child crash dummy and a fifth
the Crash Dummy Kids are helping us evaluatepercentile female Hybrid III crash dummy were
whether the new "safer" products actuallyused to test chest protectors. The internal
live up to their manufacturer's claims. Adeflection and viscous response values
soft baseball is a new addition to sportsobtained from the Hybrid III dummy showed
equipment promoted by manufacturers asminimal reduction in response when chest
substantially reducing the risks of headprotectors were used compared to the
injury for children who play baseball. Crashunprotected dummy. Even worse, when a generic
Dummy Kids helped researchers at thedosed cell foam chest protector was hit by a
Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine,standard hard baseball, the impact force
Ann Arbor, Michigan, when they tested theincreased between 6 and 43%, and the momentum
risk of head injury from a hard baseball anddelivered increased between 10 and I5%. When
nine types of softer baseballs thrown at 60a softer core baseball was thrown against
miles per hour, a typical speed in Littlegeneric closed cell foam protection, the
League. The way the testing works is thatforce measured increased between IS and S8%,
the Crash Dummy Kids arrive at the test site,and the momentum delivered increased between
the researchers throw baseballs at them14 and 18%. The results for chest protectors
(well, actually, a machine throws thewere really bad! Closed cell foam chest
baseball) and load cells in the dummy's bodyprotectors protectors, including ABS plastic
report on the strength of the impact. Ahard shell-covered generic closed cell foam,
study reported in the October issue ofhad only a marginal effect in reducing levels
Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, showedimpact. The researchers concluded that the
that the soft baseballs provided only modestchest protector itself and the various types
protection. One of the test series showedof chest protector materials studied have
that a player without a batting helmet, whominimal protective effects on baseball
is hit in the head with a standard hardinjuries and may actually exacerbate the
baseball has a 20 percent risk of seriousimpact force to the chest. To date, no
head injury, and that this risk only falls toeffective preventive sports equipment has
12-l6 percent when hit with a soft baseballbeen developed to eliminate or reduce chest
which when thrown at 60 miles per hour stillinjuries from baseball impact in the
has a force of impact of over 1,000 pounds.pediatric population. Not only are the new
Obviously soft baseballs aren't a substituteproducts not safer, but our kids aren't as
for a batting helmet, and maybe we need to besafe as we thought!



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