low back pain, how common is the dreaded pars fracture?

[stickpile39]

Thanks everyone, still anguishing and waiting for an MRI. Darn Holiday weekend In the meantime, DD has alerted her team that she is resting and cannot attend offseason workouts. They asked that she visit the trainer. We took her in yesterday. DW and DD found great comfort in the visit because trainer declared "we are not looking at a pars fracture here". We can get MRI if we want but it is not necessary. I of course liked hearing this but I remain suspicious, and we will get the MRI. The trainers thinking seems to come from the fact that she can feel muscle related tightness and swelling on the affected side and is blaming it on overuse.
I can't feel comfortable because the one legged hyperextension test reproduces some pain. I am taking notice here, and no matter what the outcome is, I feel much more educated thanks to the information in these forums. FWIW, I did find a study on line by the NIH that the use of this test is "not useful in detecting spondylolysis". But of course each case is going to be different.
for anyone interested
Use of the one

Best, stick

 

[csmda5]

I hope whatever her injury is, the healing process is short and she comes back stronger!

 

[Il softball fan]

Wishing good thoughts for you and your DD. Hope for best case scenario for her. If she is ordered to take some time off and rebuild, make sure she completely takes the time OFF. Don't try to get back to it earlier than doctors ordered. A year seems so long for a 14-15 year old girl, but trust me it flies by like no time.

Unfortunately this injury seems to occur in teens due to overuse at the time they are growing the most rapid. Other injuries/malformations of the spine also occur at this age due to the rapid growth, and use. My daughter developed acute idiopathic scoliosis at around 12 years old, and had spinal fusion surgery at 14. I have no proof of this, and the definition of "idiopathic" means that there is no cause known, but I personally think it had to do with pitching related activities, as well as repeated bat swinging. MY dd throws right handed, and bats right handed. Her spine pulled out of line to the right. Scoliosis occurs mostly in teen girls, where the muscles on one side of the body develop faster than the other side, causing the spine to pull to one side, and some times twist as it pulls to the side. My lucky DD happened to get both. Surgery does not completely fix either issue, but does lock the spine in place so it can not get any worse. 3 rods, and 18 screws holding everything in place for my DD.

Didn't mean for this to be so long, but if your DD has any spine/back related pain, I would have doctor look ASAP and check for any deformation/curvature of the spine and get treatment started ASAP.

 

[stickpile39]

Thanks IL softball, Yes they do scoliosis tests in school. Actually DD was on the borderline here but still in the normal range. She will have an MRI this week, perhaps they will assess that as well?
Reading your post also got me thinking. I wonder if perhaps it makes sense for right pitchers and hitters to also learn and practice pitching and hitting lefty, solely for balance purposes?

 

[Eric F]

Wishing the best for Big DD, Stick. Fingers crossed that it's something that will heal quickly and allow her to get back in the game soon.

 

[stickpile39]

MRI tonight after work, takes deep breath....

 

[RubberBiscuit]

They asked that she visit the trainer. We took her in yesterday. DW and DD found great comfort in the visit because trainer declared "we are not looking at a pars fracture here".

I know you say you are being cautious, and geesh I don't want to be a Debbie-Downer, but I can't even begin to elaborate on how many trainers, a chiropractor, and even a "standard" orthopedic specialist (one that mostly treats old people and general sports stuff - NOT pitcher athletes - HUGE difference when it comes the pars), basically said "I got this,....she'll be back in the circle in 3-5 weeks."

All these "good-hearted-but-clueless-to-the-pars" helpers basically kept aggravating the injury for much longer than what could have been if we would have seen the right PITCHING sports orthopedic specialist from the start.

My strong recommendation => DO NOT have the trainer have her do anything that induces torso-twist <or> anything high-impact to the spine until the MRI comes back.

I tear-up each time I think of how much perpetuation of the problem we induced on my DD through wrong manipulations from trainers & Chiro......

I pray that it is just an area bruise and you remember me as just an over-protective-reactive-nut.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

MRI tonight after work, takes deep breath....

Good luck - whatever it ends up being it's just something that you need to press through - like taxes

 

[Rocketech1]

FWIW, DDs 13yo teammate had a stress fracture to her vertabrae (don't know if it was a pars fracture) but she was in a brace for 3 months. She seems fine now and can pitch again. I don't remember my friends in middle school having so many injuries at such a young age. Maybe we played with pain and the diagnosis is much better now but I have to think that over specialization / overuse has something to do with it? Knock on wood, but DD has never had an injury, has never had to ice, but I make sure that we don't practice pitching two days in a row, if at all possible, and only for about 30 minutes a session. She works real fast, even at lessons. She only takes about 2 weeks off, twice a year. IMO, "slow and steady" year round is better than taking off 6 weeks and over practicing the rest of the year to get the form back.

 

[stickpile39]

Rubber, Given your experience, I sincerely appreciate the advice. My reading on this forum has suddenly made me an over-protective-reactive-nut, and I feel empowered from the knowledge.
DD will have the MRI tonight and will be seeing a pediatric and adolescent sports medicine and orthopaedic specialist at MA General Hospital. It appears he specializes in overuse injuries in high school athletes. I think he might be the right guy.
Can't thank everyone enough for the thoughts and the education.