Helping Rochester鈥檚 baseball community better understand how to prevent and recognize signs of common repetitive injuries associated with playing the game is the subject of an evening lecture sponsored by (USM).聽 Featuring talks from five sports medicine experts, including head athletic trainer for the , the free seminar will be held 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 7 at University Sports Medicine, 4901 Lac DeVille Blvd.聽

Geared toward coaches, officials, parents and athletic trainers, the talks will cover shoulder and elbow injuries, overall injury prevention, and body conditioning for baseball.聽The evening also will include a discussion on performance enhancing substances.

Increasingly, sports medicine physicians are seeing younger and younger patients with injuries that were once only common in college level and above playing.聽

鈥淯nfortunately, today our kids are pushed to perform at ever higher levels, and to super-specialize in one sport,鈥� said chief of USM and team physician of the Rochester Red Wings. 鈥淭his single-sport focus results in overuse of muscles, tendons and joints, and in baseball, this most often translates into shoulder and elbow injuries that can plague a person throughout their lifetime if they are not careful.鈥�

director of sports rehabilitation at USM, added that athletes often try to immediately achieve the level they played at in the previous summer, which is not realistic after a long Rochester winter.

鈥淐ouple that with overuse and improper technique, and all the ingredients are in play for an injury,鈥� Duncan said.

The seminar will specifically address:

鈥淜ids appear to turn to steroids because they feel enormous pressure to be faster, stronger, better 鈥� all the time,鈥� said ., sports medicine specialist at USM.聽鈥淭his seminar will help athletes understand the very real dangers of steroids, and provide them with tips on how to safely boost their performance.鈥�

Participants are encouraged to call to register at 341-9150.聽University Sports Medicine is located in Building D on the Clinton Crossings Medical campus.