My son is 14 and has been playing baseball for almost 10 years already. He plays multiple positions, but loves pitching. Unfortunately, he has been having shoulder and elbow pain this year intermittently as he has been pitching more. He is a young boy, and I don’t want him to be injured. I ask the coaches, but they just ask him if he feels well enough to pitch; he always says yes. Is this dangerous, what should I do?
You didn’t say if you are the mother or father, but we are going out on a limb and going to guess that you are the mother. Assuming that’s true, then this is clearly a case of “Mother knows best”!! You are completely correct in being worried about him.  As we see kids become more competitive in sports at younger ages, they are having all of the problems that older children and adults have with repetitive movement sports. There are limits on the number a pitches children should throw, but when they play multiple positions, this may not be clear. You should have your son take a break if he is having recurrent symptoms, and you should go see a board certified orthopedic surgeon to examine your son and make recommendations.
To learn more, watch this video from the Cleveland Clinic.
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