How to Play Baseball With a Pacemaker

If you have had heart problems and have gone through the trauma of having a pacemaker surgically implanted, any sport or activity can cause anxiety. You want to take part and participate in everything you can, but you don't want to put yourself in danger unnecessarily. If you love baseball and want to play, you have a problem. If you get hit with the ball in or around the heart area, it could be disastrous. However, you don't have to stop playing, because there are protective devices available.

Things You'll Need

• Heart/chest protector
• Specialized T-shirt with protective sleeve and foam backing

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Instructions

• 1

  Put on a T-shirt that has a protective sleeve or pocket in the front of the chest (see References below for an example). The T-shirt also needs to have a foam backing to protect the chest and heart area. This opening in the shirt will house your heart/chest protector. Wearing a heart/chest protector will allow you to protect yourself or responsibly protect your child who has a pacemaker and allow him to participate in baseball.

• 2

  Insert the heart/chest protector into the sleeve. The heart/chest protector is a strong plastic polypropylene shield that is designed to take a hard hit and disperse energy from the impact away from the heart.

• 3

  Notice that the heart/chest protector is virtually invisible when worn under a uniform shirt. The padded T-shirt is basically flat, and so is the heart/chest protector. This will allow a person to play the game without embarrassment or self-consciousness.

• 4

  Go out and play the game with confidence when wearing the heart/chest protector. You are doing everything you can to protect yourself, and the device provides plenty of protection. However, there are no guarantees that you won't suffer a chest or heart injury while wearing the equipment. That's also the case for anyone who plays the game--including those without pacemakers.