baseball, catchers and knees

I never had any knee issues during the time I was a catcher (age 11 to 18).  Maybe my youth had something to do with it.  Now I'm still young (28) but my knees are less cooperative.  I can't really say whether being a catcher in my teen years had an effect in either direction.

Edited by froglegs 2009-10-18 12:14 PM

having been one from little league through 5years in the Indians organization and 1 year in the Red Sox organization I never had or knew anyone who had knee problems associated with the mechnics of catching. I'm now 55 and have had both knees scoped in the last 3 years. Both were not as a result of an injury that I was aware of. My knees just started hurting and when I had them checked both had medial tears.

two words: Baby. Jesus.

AKA Joe Mauer

Johnny Bench. Couldn't play behind the plate in his last years because of his knee, playing first instead. 

Squatting in the gym and squatting behind the plate are two different things, and proper form is different for each, so you can't say that they really have "bad" mechanics.  Also, catchers, esp. the ones who have been doing it for long enough to make it to the majors, generally have tremendous flexibility in their posterior chain, ie - calves, hamstrings, glutes, low back - which is going to decrease the stress on all those body parts that you mentioned.  Good hamstring flexibility is going to allow them to keep that back a lot flatter than you would expect it to be since the pelvis isn't rotating as much.  

As for the knees - I'm certain that "most" catchers have some type of issue from time to time simply because full knee flexion is the "closed-pack position" for the knee, meaning that when they are squatting the knee is in it's most stable position, and also that the joint pressure is at its highest.  IF they twist, then yes a meniscal injury could occur - usually it's not as much twisting going on there as it is just shifting weight from side to side.  Probably harder on the knees to constantly shift between standing and squatting than it is to sit there for the 10 seconds it takes to flash a sign, but I was never a catcher so I couldn't say for sure.  Also, there's a difference in technique when you're giving the sign, actively waiting for the pitch, and waiting for the pitch with a runner on first and need to be ready to throw to second base quickly.  

Also, meniscus tears are not always painful.  You can go for years without any symptoms at all, or you can feel it the moment it happens.  They're funny injuries.   

I had a buckethandle tear in spring training 1994 while blocking a pitch in the dirt. Just caught my meniscus the wrong way and it shredded. I ended up having 4 surgeries...the last was in December 2007 for a meniscus transplant. I'm now feeling better than ever. The pro teams will move most great hitting catchers out from behind the plate to avoid knee and hand injuries. My HIM goal is gone, but I plan to hit a few sprints next year.

Johnny Bench. Couldn't play behind the plate in his last years because of his knee, playing first instead. 

I caught from age 7 through 18 and then played defensive end in college football.  I never had knee problems resulting from those sports.  In fact, I think my legs and knees were stronger than the average athlete as a result.  With that said, I'm sure that I just jinxed myself and will have some real problems in the future!

I think the important thing here is that catching does not cause knee injuries.  Lots of people will catch for years and not have an injury.  And lots of people will.  Like everything else it's about good technique and a just maybe a little bit of luck.

I played catcher from age 7 to 26 ( college & US Army).  While I competed I never really had any real issues with my knees.  However, now that I'm doing triathlons, the running portion surely takes a toll on them.   I focus on Trigger Point a lot to assist.  But still have occasion where I develop patella tendenitis.  Shorter running is not the issue, it's when I'm doing 2 hr training runs.. 

This winter I'm planning on an aggressive weight training program to assist with next year..  At 52, I need to do that anyway.

I caught in LL and HS, and my knees hurt a lot then.  They're pretty much fine now (I'm 31).  One does pop fairly regularly, but that was from taking a foul ball right in the corner of the knee.  Some way to find out your shin guard had shifted, huh?

I caught LL through college, never had problems with my knees.  However myself and a friend of mine who also played through college both had/have achilles issues.

tb,

You may be on to something there.  I caught through HS and I've had a ton of achilles problems.  I ruptured my right achilles two years ago and am battling achilles tendonitis in the other one now.  I never thought twice about catching being the culprit. 

I have caught all my life going into college ball, and I am currently done. I have never  had knee problems and since i have stopped my knees are kind of painful. whenever i turn my right know out, it really hurts. also underneath the patella on both my knees tend to hurt. Any ideas whats wrong?

By the way, I don't think form has much to do with it. I think the number of reps you have at catcher (from bullpens to games) increases the odds of injury. I don't know how anyone can keep proper technique when blocking a 90+ mph fastball in the dirt with a runner on 3rd every single time. It's all about stopping that ball, and technique be damned when you are trying to save the game and keep your job. You can practice blocking pitches all day, but it's the one that you moved a hair "wrong" on that costs you.

I was never taught a "form" to keep when catching pitches...it's very personal. I also think size has a lot to do with injuries, but that's just my guess (being 6'2+ and 225 when I played).

I have been catching since I was 5 years old. I am currently catching in my last year of college softball. Just in college alone I have caught over 200 games. There has always been some knee pain in one of my knees but this was not from catching alone. I have had some issues after a collision at the plate and in the last year as I went down to block a ball I ended up twisting my knee and tearing my meniscus. I did keep trying to play on it for another 4 games until I could not bend or straighten it any more. Since then I had surgery and I am not in my last season in my catching year. To this day I do have a lot of knee pain with most activities but this is not from catching all those years. This is due to lack of rest, rehab, and beginning to play to early after surgery. When I injured myself it was a little over a month before I got to play softball over seas. This did not allow me to rehab my knee correctly. So when it comes to injuries for catcher it is the luck of the draw. Some may experience injuries or knee pain while others my not experience any.