| In 1998, more than 91,000 children and | | | | thinking about using helmets all around, not |
| adolescents ages 5 to 14 were treated in | | | | just in the batting box. Another study of |
| hospital emergency rooms for baseball | | | | sports equipment utilized crash dummies to |
| injuries, and nearly 26,000 children and | | | | analyze the baseball injuries and deaths from |
| adolescents ages 5 to 14 were treated for | | | | being hit in the chest. A previous study |
| softball-related injuries. Baseball also has | | | | reported in the Clinic Journal of Sports |
| the highest fatality rate among sports for | | | | Medicine (1992) studying protective sports |
| children and adolescents ages 5 to 14, with | | | | equipment had found that chest protectors and |
| three to four persons dying from baseball | | | | softer baseballs provide no protection |
| injuries each year. This is sobering to we | | | | against death from chest impact. The purpose |
| parents who grew up playing baseball on a | | | | of the new study evaluated current protective |
| nearby vacant lot. Sports equipment | | | | sports equipment that could favorably modify |
| manufacturers are trying to address our | | | | the incidence of baseball chest impact |
| concerns about the safety of our kids, and | | | | fatalities. A child crash dummy and a fifth |
| the Crash Dummy Kids are helping us evaluate | | | | percentile female Hybrid III crash dummy were |
| whether the new "safer" products actually | | | | used to test chest protectors. The internal |
| live up to their manufacturer's claims. A | | | | deflection and viscous response values |
| soft baseball is a new addition to sports | | | | obtained from the Hybrid III dummy showed |
| equipment promoted by manufacturers as | | | | minimal reduction in response when chest |
| substantially reducing the risks of head | | | | protectors were used compared to the |
| injury for children who play baseball. Crash | | | | unprotected dummy. Even worse, when a generic |
| Dummy Kids helped researchers at the | | | | dosed 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 the | | | | increased between 6 and 43%, and the momentum |
| risk of head injury from a hard baseball and | | | | delivered increased between 10 and I5%. When |
| nine types of softer baseballs thrown at 60 | | | | a softer core baseball was thrown against |
| miles per hour, a typical speed in Little | | | | generic closed cell foam protection, the |
| League. The way the testing works is that | | | | force 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 them | | | | 14 and 18%. The results for chest protectors |
| (well, actually, a machine throws the | | | | were really bad! Closed cell foam chest |
| baseball) and load cells in the dummy's body | | | | protectors protectors, including ABS plastic |
| report on the strength of the impact. A | | | | hard shell-covered generic closed cell foam, |
| study reported in the October issue of | | | | had only a marginal effect in reducing levels |
| Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, showed | | | | impact. The researchers concluded that the |
| that the soft baseballs provided only modest | | | | chest protector itself and the various types |
| protection. One of the test series showed | | | | of chest protector materials studied have |
| that a player without a batting helmet, who | | | | minimal protective effects on baseball |
| is hit in the head with a standard hard | | | | injuries and may actually exacerbate the |
| baseball has a 20 percent risk of serious | | | | impact force to the chest. To date, no |
| head injury, and that this risk only falls to | | | | effective preventive sports equipment has |
| 12-l6 percent when hit with a soft baseball | | | | been developed to eliminate or reduce chest |
| which when thrown at 60 miles per hour still | | | | injuries 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 substitute | | | | products not safer, but our kids aren't as |
| for a batting helmet, and maybe we need to be | | | | safe as we thought! |