16 year old pitcher -- back injury -- need advice!

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Mar 9, 2011
16
1
Columbus IN
Check for muscle imbalance. Went through something similar for 3 years. Back doc. , pt. , chiro., mri . , none of them figured it out. Turned out it was her glute medial. The pain was in her sacroiliac joint. Once we figured it out , did exercises for a month and it went away. Now I check all our pitchers periodically. I have them stand on one leg, then the other, checking to see if there hips want to drop on the leg that's in the air. Most kids I have checked are weak on one side. This causes them to mistime there landing(on a micro scale), which causes pain.
 
Mar 9, 2011
16
1
Columbus IN
Most people would be shocked to see what a pitcher looks like trying to jump straight up in the air, off both feet, in slow motion. My kid thought she landed even. The camera showed , one foot on the ground, and the other was still a good inch in the air. She swore the were hitting at same time.
 
Feb 20, 2012
263
18
back problems and pitching motion

Sometimes girls can get a stress fracture in the lower back which can only be diagnosed by MRI.

In my opinion her pitching mechanics are incorrect.

First she is not throwing legal with her back foot off the ground so technically could be called for illegal pitching.

She needs to use her elbow snap and when she lands drags her foot too early on release. Her feet need to be separated before she finishes the pitch.

Just my opinion if that matters to you.
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
Doctors cannot see or feel a stress fracture. A good MD will refer you to a PT for a further diagnosis. PTs are great at putting you through specific exercises to isolate muscles and muscle groups. But, like the MDs they cannot see or feel a stress fracture.

The ONLY way to determine it, or rule it out, is with an MRI. A simple x-ray normally will not show it.

If you have not done so already, push for the MRI, push hard if you have to.

STOP GUESSING
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,781
0
An MRI didn't see my DD's stress fracture, she had to go back for a CT--actually 2 of them.

Her regular Dr. diagnosed her as a back sprain.
 
May 18, 2009
1,314
38
My oldest DD is having back pain. I'm concerned it will affect her pitching. She was tight after practice one night and tried stretching her back by twisting. She said she felt a pop and had shooting pain in her butt. I think she may have bulged a disc. It runs in our family
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
Get an MRI!!!!!! Learn from my mistake!!!!!

If the MRI comes out negative at least ya have the peace of mind the rehab plan is not hurting her further. (which is what my DD went through)

My DD has been out of commission since March with an initial WRONG diagnosis as only a muscle imbalance (even though she has that too). But the initial misdiagnosis had us starting the proper rehab in May instead of it could have been March if we would have just started with the MRI....)

So DD has just been cleared as of yesterday to return to TB team participation but NO pitching yet for another 4 weeks (I am thoroughly convinced in the doctors plan we are on now but it means DD basically has missed the entire 2013 HS and TB season as a pitcher - this is during her critical Junior year in HS and the following summer season - still have unknown status on her verbal that has been floating since last winter.....)
 
Feb 20, 2012
263
18
does not look like her motion would cause any back problems. She does however look like she is pushing the ball a little and flatting her drag foot. Maybe sometimes appears to be leaping a little. But her basic motion looks ok. Sometimes a pitcher has to stretch their hamstrings a lot in order to prevent back problems, probably 10 minutes a day a use a lot of rubber cord.
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
She is getting airborne but, her stride foot stays very low, thats good , no shock vs hard impact of a harder landing with a high stride.

However, the sudden stopping standing straight up, that will be the culprit, alwats is. You have to be on a backwards lean and land with a bend in the stride knee. That way all of the force of the 'Resistance' the spine experiences is absorbed by the entire spine and not just by the lower spine (Sacrum spine) that occurs when you stop standing straight up. The spine is not designed to work that way.

That pitching motion in the video CAN result in a spinal stress fracture. I have seen that quite a few times.

Get it scanned, that is the only way to rule it out.
 
Dec 28, 2013
1
0
Hamilton,Ohio
Well my daughter missed all last summer season with a lower back injury. She pitched alot in hs ball and when she was complaining about her back to where she couldnt swing a bat we saw a sports Dr. and stress fracture in L5. Have it looked at and a mri.
 

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