Baseball is one of our country's most popular recreational sports, with more than 40 million Americans participating in softball and baseball leagues.

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, almost 500,000 baseball-related injuries are treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospital emergency rooms each year.

Children are often injured while playing baseball. More than 203,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were treated for baseball-related injuries in 2007.

Where are most of the injuries occurring in baseball? Here are some areas that coaches, parents and kids need to know about.

Many injuries occur from excessive pitching and can be prevented if players and coaches follow these safety guidelines.

• Follow the guidelines about the number of innings pitched as specified by the individual's baseball league (a maximum of four to 10 innings a week) not by the number of teams played on.
• While there is no concrete guideline for the number of pitches allowed, a reasonable approach is to count the number of pitches thrown and use 80 to 100 pitches as a maximum in a game, and 30 to 40 pitches in a practice.
• Any persistent pain should disqualify a child from playing until pain subsides.

• Many injuries to players occur while sliding into bases. These mishaps and their resulting costs (more than $1 billion in 2007) could be significantly lowered by installing breakaway bases on playing fields.
• To prevent sliding injuries, the American of Orthopaedic Surgeons urges all communities to install breakaway bases in their playing fields. A breakaway base is snapped onto grommets attached to an anchored rubber mat which hold it in place during normal play.
• When a runner slides into the base, it can be dislodged to avoid direct contact and injury. (During normal base running, the breakaway base is stable and will not detach.)
• A traditional stationary base, bolted to a metal post and sunk into the ground, becomes a rigid obstacle for an athlete to encounter while sliding and often results in injury.

Protective equipment is one of the most important factors in minimizing the risk of injury in baseball. Here are some safety tips to prevent injuries:

• Remember your equipment must fit properly and be worn correctly.
• Wear a batting helmet at the plate, when waiting a turn at bat, and when running bases.
• Facial protection devices that are attached to batting helmets are available in some youth leagues. These devices can help reduce the risk of a serious facial injury if hit by a ball.
• The catcher must always use a catcher's mitt. If you play another position, ask your coach about specific size requirements for your mitt.
• Catchers should always wear a helmet, face mask, throat guard, long-model chest protector, protective supporter, and shin guards.
• Most youth leagues prohibit the use of shoes with steel spikes. Instead, wear molded, cleated baseball shoes.
• Inspect the playing field for holes, glass, and other debris.