Low back and baseball

BACKGROUND: Limited flexibility of the lower extremities, such as hamstring tightness, has long been suggested as a physical risk factor for low back pain among adolescent athletes. However, few prospective cohort studies have examined the direction of causality for this relationship. This prospective cohort study investigated the relationship between limited flexibility of the lower extremities and the occurrence of low back pain among high school baseball players. METHODS: Participants comprised 335 high school baseball players from 43 high school baseball teams who had undergone baseline medical evaluations (a self-completed questionnaire and physical examination)...

We describe successful surgical treatment in a case of L5 unilateral spondylolysis with contralateral pedicle stress fracture that was not resolved by conservative treatment in a high-performing college baseball player. The 20-year-old man presented with left low back pain that stopped his sports activities. Over the previous year, he had experienced a couple of episodes of pain that subsided with cessation of sports but reappeared after a return to sports. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right terminal stage pars fracture and a left pedicle stress fracture at L5...

Back pain and lower extremity pain have various causes and occasionally occur simultaneously, creating diagnostic difficulties. In addition, athletes require special consideration in terms of treatment. Here, we report a case of foraminal stenosis as a result of lumbar disc prolapse combined with facet hypertrophy contralateral to the dominant hand in a baseball pitcher that was successfully treated by minimally invasive full-endoscopic surgery. A 31-year-old left-handed male baseball pitcher presented with complaints of low back pain and right buttock pain while pitching...

BACKGROUND: Spondylolysis is the main cause of low back pain (LBP) in young athletes. There are few studies analyzing the difference of spondylolysis among young athletes with different sports activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical factors and distribution of the lesions of spondylolysis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in young soccer and baseball players with symptomatic spondylolysis. METHODS: The medical records of 267 young athletes aged 7 to 18 years old who underwent MRI to evaluate the cause of LBP between 2017 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with spondylolysis...

CONTEXT: A baseball-specific training load may influence strength or glenohumeral range of motion, which are related to baseball injuries. Glenohumeral reach tests and grip strength are clinical assessments of shoulder range of motion and upper extremity strength, respectively. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in glenohumeral reach test performance and grip strength between dominant and nondominant limbs and high, moderate, and low baseball-specific training load groups...

BACKGROUND: Repetitive lumbar hyperextension and rotation during athletic activity affect the structural integrity of the lumbar spine. While many sports have been associated with an increased risk of developing a pars defect, few previous studies have systematically investigated spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in professional baseball players. PURPOSE: To characterize the epidemiology and treatment of symptomatic lumbar spondylolysis and isthmic spondylolisthesis in American professional baseball players...

STUDY DESIGN: Literature review. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a literature review of studies reporting the incidence of pars interarticularis defects in athletes of specific sports, in order to allow more targeted prevention and treatment strategies to be implemented for the groups at highest risk. METHODS: Electronic searches were performed using PubMed, Ovid Medline, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Database of Controlled Trials from their dates of inception to September 2017, with the following keywords: "spondylolysis," "sports," "low back pain," and "pars defects...

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a history of low back pain (LBP) on pelvic and lumbar kinematics during baseball hitting. Twenty collegiate male baseball players (age, 21±1 years; height, 172.8±4.7 cm; weight, 72.7±6.2 kg; baseball experience, 13±1 years) performed 5 bat swings. Participants were categorized into the LBP group (n=10) or control group (n=10) based on having experienced lumbar spine pain due to bat swing that lasted more than 24 h within the last 12 months...

The recruitment of athletes with limited resources is a global problem in professional sports. In US Major League Baseball, the experience of the Oakland Athletics' general manager in the last decade turned his "Moneyball" model into a synonym of quantitative analysis in the transfer market of baseball players. His strategy focused on hiring players with outstanding technical skills but relatively low market value. This study adapted this model to the framework of a multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA), by selecting undervalued players who have complementary abilities...

Background : There is few reports evaluated accurately the pain generator of low back pain in elite athletes. The purpose of this report was to show case series and to investigate the cause of unidentified low back pain of elite athletes. Methods : Twenty-three adult elite athletes consulted our sports spine clinic to seek a second opinion for low back pain between April 2013 and March 2016. Their cause of low back pain had not been identified by nearby doctor. Spine surgeons had diagnosed using diagnostic injection and STIR-MRI and the final diagnosis made by the spine surgeon were collected...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of spondylolysis by sport in nonelite adolescent athletes with low back pain (LBP). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Hospital-based sports medicine clinic. PATIENTS: The medical charts of 1025 adolescent athletes with LBP (age 15 ± 1.8 years) were examined; 308 (30%) were diagnosed with a spondylolysis. ASSESSMENT OF RISK: Risk of spondylolysis was assessed in 11 sports for males and 14 sports for females...

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of radiofrequency thermal annuloplasty (TA) using percutaneous endoscopic discectomy/TA (PED/TA) in elite athletes with discogenic low back pain. Twelve patients (11 men, 1 woman; mean age 27.9 years) underwent PED/TA under local anesthesia. Clinical data for these patients (17 affected intervertebral discs), including type of sport played, average duration of low back pain, disc level affected, presence or absence of a high signal intensity zone on magnetic resonance imaging, and whether the patient returned to playing competitive sport, were retrospectively reviewed...

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of curable and pseudoarthrosis stages of adolescent lumbar spondylolysis under high school students complaining of and seeking medical consultation for low back pain. Patients and Methods: We analyzed age, sex, morbidity, presence of spina bifida occulta (SBO), and competitive sport discipline of patients with lumbar spondylolysis. We then stratified their pathological stage using a modified classification system via magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography...

BACKGROUND: We report the case of a professional baseball player who had severe leg pain due to lumbar lateral disc herniation at L4-5 and isthmic spondylolisthesis at L5 (double crash syndrome). For early recovery to competitive level, we performed minimally invasive endoscopic decompression surgery without fusion. There are few reports to discuss the usefulness of minimally invasive treatment for top athletes. METHODS: A 29-year-old professional baseball player who played catcher was referred to us with a complaint of right leg pain...

It has been suggested that Canadian-born Major League Baseball (MLB) players are more likely to bat left-handed, possibly owing to the fact that they learn to play ice hockey before baseball, and that there is no clear hand-preference when shooting with a hockey stick; approximately half of all ice hockey players shoot left. We constructed a database on active (i.e., October, 2016) MLB players from four countries/regions based on place of birth (Canada, United States of America [USA], Dominican Republic and South Asia [i...

Low back pain (LBP) often occurs in baseball players;however, the characteristics of the location of their LBP with respect to their throwing and hitting sides have not been clarified. In order to clarify the left-right asymmetry of LBP that occurs in baseball players, we surveyed 247 university baseball players using an LBP questionnaire. The main investigational items were:throwing and hitting side, position at the time of LBP experience, and LBP location. Based upon the indication of their throwing and hitting side, subjects were classified into unilateral rotational (UR) or bilateral rotational (BR) types...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of spondylolysis by sport in nonelite adolescent athletes with low back pain (LBP). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Hospital-based sports medicine clinic. PATIENTS: The medical charts of 1025 adolescent athletes with LBP (age 15 ± 1.8 years) were examined; 308 (30%) were diagnosed with a spondylolysis. ASSESSMENT OF RISK: Risk of spondylolysis was assessed in 11 sports for males and 14 sports for females...

Spontaneous acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from lumbar ependymoma in children is rare. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy who developed sudden radicular low back pain while playing baseball. He was initially managed conservatively in a local hospital for suspected lumbar disc herniation, but he later developed meningeal symptoms and fever before being referred to our hospital. He underwent a diagnostic lumbar puncture in the emergency department; his cerebrospinal fluid suggested an SAH. Physical examination showed meningeal signs and cauda equina features...

The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) among active baseball players ranges between 3 and 15%. The execution of baseball-specific manoeuvres, such as pitching or batting, may be related to the onset of LBP. These baseball motions are complex and require appropriate activation of the core musculature to produce a well-timed motion with forces minimized at the extremities. The spine, core and back musculature are involved with acceleration and deceleration of rotational motions. This narrative review synopsizes the available evidence of the prevalence of and mechanical factors underlying LBP in the baseball population...

Repetitive throwing and hitting motions in baseball place mechanical stresses to the lumbar spine which may cause low back pain (LBP). Pain may be due to vertebral stress reactions or insufficiency fractures, intervertebral disc degeneration or intervertebral disc herniation. Untreated chronic conditions have high potential to lead to a more significant injury such as spondylolysis. Chronic LBP increases the risk for missed playing time, early career termination and lower quality of life after retirement. Proper clinical assessment and prevention/rehabilitation of LBP in this population is thus important for performance, play time and overall long-term quality of life...