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gregstang
8 Posts |
 Posted - 06/07/2011 : 08:20:32
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My son is playing the pitchers mound on his 8-U coach pitch team.He stays alert and has good reflexes.
He wears the mask but currently doesnt wear a heart guard.
Im gonna buy him one but not sure which is a good one.Id rather buy him the shirt kind.What do others use? Im not over protective but considering a 13 yr old just past away after a hit to the chest,im not gonna be to careful
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metsFan
63 Posts |
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mstimpson
57 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 09:27:31
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Hey gregstang. There are several out there, but since 6yr olds, my son has used the McDavid sleeveless Hexpad and still uses it now as an 11yr old (just a larger size ). My middle one ,6 yr old, is using it also. Hope this helps and I do not feel you are being over protective. We never used anything when I was growing up, but seeing some of the shots kids are taking today, I feel chest protectors are needed.
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Edited by - mstimpson on 06/07/2011 10:10:23 |
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beanball
222 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 09:36:23
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Greg,
Honestly my son's prefered the hard plastic heart guard. they complained that the shirt was too hot and itchy in the warm weather.
Just know by the time they get to 12U they are not going to want to wear any kind of padding. Its just the way it is. I've had 2 boys go through this with the same result. |
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BREAMKING
323 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 09:43:35
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| Look into evoshield that is the best I have seen. |
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22202
263 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 10:08:15
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| Evoshield without a doubt. |
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ramman999
241 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 11:23:27
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at 10u my son is wearing an Easton soft padded shirt - pitches, catches and plays middle infield - he just couldn't get used to the bulkiness of the evo - a little less protection but protection none the less.
If you can get them started, and used to the EVOshield, do it! |
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RACGOFAR
208 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 13:40:50
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Did the research on this a few years ago. I would not discourage anyone from purchasing if they thought it would provide added safety, but studies suggest to me that they are not that effective in preventing ventricular fibrillation. Below is an older abstract that I had found. I'll see if any new studies have been done.
Article
Failure of Commercially Available Chest Wall Protectors to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death Induced by Chest Wall Blows in an Experimental Model of Commotio Cordis
Jonathan Weinstock, MDa, Barry J. Maron, MDb, Christopher Song, BAa, Paresh P. Mane, MDa, N.A. Mark Estes III, MDa, Mark S. Link, MDa
+ Author Affiliations
aCardiac Arrhythmia Center, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
bMinneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE. Sudden cardiac death that results from chest wall blows (commotio cordis) the second leading cause of death in young athletes. Most events are caused by blows from projectiles, such as baseballs or lacrosse balls, with a substantial proportion occurring despite the use of a chest protector. In the present experiment, we tested the effectiveness of commercially available chest protectors in preventing ventricular fibrillation (VF) that results from chest wall strikes with baseballs and lacrosse balls.
METHODS. Twelve different baseball or lacrosse chest protectors were evaluated in juvenile swines that were subjected to 40-mph baseball or lacrosse ball blows to the precordium during the vulnerable period of repolarization for VF and were compared with control impacts without chest protectors. Seven baseball chest protectors were hit by regulation baseballs, and 5 lacrosse chest protectors were tested by blows with standard lacrosse balls. Each animal received 2 chest blows for each protector and 2 control impacts without a chest protector, with the sequence of impacts assigned randomly.
RESULTS. VF was elicited by 12 (32%) of 37 strikes in control animals without baseball chest protectors. None of the baseball chest wall protectors tested were shown to decrease significantly the occurrence of VF when compared with controls. VF was elicited by 11 (46%) of 24 strikes in control animals without lacrosse chest protectors. None of the lacrosse chest wall protectors tested decreased significantly the occurrence of VF when compared with controls.
CONCLUSION. In our experimental animal model of commotio cordis, commercially available baseball and lacrosse chest wall protectors were ineffective in protecting against VF that was triggered by chest blows and, by inference, sudden cardiac death. Improvements in materials and design of chest wall barriers are necessary to reduce the occurrence of these tragic events and make the athletic field safer for youths.
Key Words: death sudden cardiac arrhythmia ventricular fibrillation pediatrics commotio cordis athletes
Accepted November 11, 2005.
Copyright © 2006 by the American Academy of Pediatrics |
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Cardsfan17
24 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 14:52:53
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| There are several good brands on the market. My son pitches 11-U and wears the EVO. It is hot - no question about that, but if it provides ANY protection at all it is well worth it. I have seen several kids start wearing protection in the last few weeks and I imagine that trend will continue based on how fast the balls are coming back at them. |
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SRD
14 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2011 : 22:35:29
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| EVO SHIELD is the best! My son has wore one for the past 2 years. It helps with wild pitchers, too. |
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Steel-Will
278 Posts |
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gregstang
8 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2011 : 08:47:03
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| Thanks everyone for the quick responses. I bought the mcDavid hexpad and also ordered the rawling zoombang heart protector. I figure i might have to try a couple to see which he really likes to wear. I really like the evo shield and will be ordering one soon. Now i have to find a real good faceshield for him to use,anyone know of a good one? |
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rustybucket
67 Posts |
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1st post but a serious question
