Lower back maintenance - A question to you cagey veterans of pitching out there.

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Apr 13, 2010
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Sorry I missed this thread. I haven't posted here in a while and haven't been as diligent reading this forum lately.

My daughter had/has the same issue.

The issue has NOTHING to do with pitching or pitching style. Although certain styles and pitches can affect the problem.

That being said here's what happened to us. My daughter after pitching a few years all of the sudden had significant back pain in her lower back to the point of not being able to pitch (at all). She was only 12 years old at the time. I thought it was ridiculous to be honest with you. Especially when it went on for a couple of weeks. I thought she was young and she'd just bounce back after little rest, probably pulled something, etc. Not true. She didn't bounce back. We went to the doctor. The doctor found nothing wrong and said it was muscular. We were referred to a chiropractor or a physical therapist - our choice. We tried to make an appt. through the clinic we go to but the schedule never lined up. A friend at work had us try his chiropractor but that was weird and my daughter didn't like it. Finally my wife's employer suggested her physical trainer who lo and behold is also a pediatric physical therapist and loves working with kids. We went to her.

What we were told after the first session is that my daughter had "no core" and was using her back to compensate. That was causing the issue. You couldn't even see that was happening as a pitching coach unless you knew what to look for. My daughter goes to a pitching coach with an exemplary safety record and she still goes to her this day. I trust her implicitly. Anyway, she had no core. Having no core had caused her over the years to walk incorrectly and thus her arches and her feet were messed up as well. She started physical therapy working on her core, learning how to breathe, and learning how to hold her core. That's the key. She had to reprogram herself to use the right muscles (her core instead of her back). Muscles you can't see. Her legs, arms, etc in her pitching mechanics were always fine. It was the hidden muscles that were at the core of the issue. During the first 6 weeks while she did not pitch we also went to a foot specialist and that doctor constructed special inserts for her shoes. Which she still wears now 18 months later. My daughter after starting physical therapy was pitching again in about 6 weeks. This started in early December and she had her best season ever that Summer season. She's now pitching as an 8th grader on the High School development team.

Now spin today and she still does physical therapy and still wears her inserts and goes to the same pitching coach but she pitches without any pain at all. Physical Therapist has now told me that she likely won't need the foot inserts soon.

One interesting conversation I had with the physical therapist she asked me if my DD crawled when she was a baby. Apparently babies that crawl learn to hold their core properly. Babies that don't often grow up with these issues.

If your daughter has a back problem while pitching my advice is to go see a physical therapist and find out if her core strength is lacking/and or she is using her back to compensate. Don't assume that it's the pitching coach or the pitching that's causing it right away, cause it's probably not.

I hope this helps someone out. And good luck to the thread creator. Finding out at 17 doesn't sound fun, I'm actually glad we found out when she was young.
 
Mar 9, 2011
16
1
Columbus IN
All you have to do is watch a pitcher walk off the mound to the bench. One i noticed last year was Jackie Traina. You will notice her hip s don t move back and fourth. They move to the left but not the right. This is muscle imbalance. The right side glute muscle s are over powering the left. Equal this out and pain goes away. I am in no way saying Jackie is in pain. All I'm saying is watch a pitcher walk and usually you can see the imbalance that happens from pitching.
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
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All great feedback folks - god bless.

Very interesting about the gate of the walk. My daughter has always been accused of walking with a serious "swag". I wonder if all the years of pitching with "no core" have induced this? She as been called the John Wayne of SB......

Well this is great to hear this is potentially easily correctable. This should give DD more enthusiasm to hit the core even harder now.
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
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It has been tough to even think about DD's situation as of recent but I forced myself on DFP here as I just want to help other pitchers parents out there in this community to supply them with "more" information on pitchers lower back health issues:

Update here is that DD has been in & out of this HS season as a junior (mostly out). She has had three major back-spasm "setbacks" where she feels healthy very fast after a back spasm but then in a game goes down teary-hard with back spasms. This is breaking my heart....

Remember that the original Ortho DO doctor at our local sports medicine institute diagnosed DD with a "core muscle imbalance". DD has been going after the PT plan hard on that diagnosis. Just doesn't seem to be progressing anything.

Well we got a line on a Ortho specialist doc tied to the BIG D1 school here in our state. We travelled 70 miles one way to have this new doctor give a second opinion on the desperate situation (I say desperate on the health standpoint first but also because DD has a D1 verbal offer going right now and we don't know the effect this will have on that......)

This doctor analyzed the situation and concluded that it must be either a lumbar fracture or a severely chronic muscle strain/tear. He said that he feels pretty confident in the fracture and that we should even pray it IS the fracture as severe muscle tears can be worse than the fractures (rehab-wise)

Either way the previous rehab program DD has been on has only exacerbated the problem and prolonged any healing.

I now finally have a doctor order for MRI and this will be done in the next few days (frustrating insurance-forced wait...). We will finally get out of this health-limbo-hell not knowing what the heck is going on with our superstar DD.

Well after a full night of DD crying here I think she will get on track again with the new recovery plan - she is a tiger. But note that even though we do not have the MRI results back yet, Hal here may have been right in THIS case all along. Especially take note of Hal's recommendation to "go get the MRI" right away. I can't promote this strong enough knowing what I know now. Think about it, if you get the MRI first at least if it IS by chance just a core imbalance you don't get into a rehab plan that is actually HURTING your DD!!!

Well if it is the fracture it looks like DD will be inactive for 6-8 weeks. MAYBE she can work her way back into TB by nationals but nobody is going to be pushing. Taking it day by day right now.....
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
I am still hoping it is something lees than a fracture. Relieved the MRI is finally happening. Sorry I probably sounded very pushy and maybe even on a rant but that is a pet peeve of mine. Seen this be the case WAY too many times.

We have had a few reports on here of full comebacks so I am still shakin my Pom-Poms for to do just that. :)
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
I am still hoping it is something lees than a fracture. Relieved the MRI is finally happening. Sorry I probably sounded very pushy and maybe even on a rant but that is a pet peeve of mine. Seen this be the case WAY too many times.

We have had a few reports on here of full comebacks so I am still shakin my Pom-Poms for to do just that. :)

Ya the new doctor is actually "hoping" for this to be a fracture as he believes that is far better of an injury than a torn/detached back muscle.... (I have heard that in the past too that bone breaks are simple healing processes versus bad muscle/ligament issues)
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
Good luck. Thanks for telling us even though its hard. We should make sure all sports programs for kids have balance to the muscle development and reduce the specialization starting at 8 years old that is going on now. When college baseball teams have 10 pitchers and college softball teams have 2, you know something is wrong with that picture.

Health insurance often delays MRIs due to cost and makes you go to rehab first. Let's all fight for this to change.

Also - note that I believe the "smoking gun" here is the extremely LONG winter up here in WI and all the reps DD did on hard surface. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I thought that DD was sooo athletically in shape that this couldn't happen to her..... WRONG!!
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
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Just out of curiosity. Did you demonstrate the 'forward dip' for the Ortho doc? I am still betting a dollar to a doughnut the years she did that is the culprit, even if it took this long after to show major symptoms.
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
Just out of curiosity. Did you demonstrate the 'forward dip' for the Ortho doc? I am still betting a dollar to a doughnut the years she did that is the culprit, even if it took this long after to show major symptoms.

They asked to see her motion in slow motion.

They didn't ask about any special move that she may have done.

I am thinking they are not sensitized to the Abbott thing....

My read on their discussions is it's more of a back arching under torque-load. (I read somewhere too that Riseballs are potentially a culprit - DD does lots of Riseballs....)

Well MRI is TODAY finally !!!!!!!!!!!
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
They asked to see her motion in slow motion.

They didn't ask about any special move that she may have done.

I am thinking they are not sensitized to the Abbott thing....

My read on their discussions is it's more of a back arching under torque-load. (I read somewhere too that Riseballs are potentially a culprit - DD does lots of Riseballs....)

Well MRI is TODAY finally !!!!!!!!!!!

OK RB, I gotta ask here. Did you demonstrate the forward dip that she USED to use? You show them that and they will freak just like the Ortho Dr did in my town when I demonstrated it to him.

He was a very formal gentleman and a devout German Baptist. He was leaning back against an examination table when I demonstrated the motion for him. He stood up and said very loudly "OH MY GOD! NO, PLEASE DOINT DO THAT AGAIN!", He went on and described the stress it puts on tyhe sacrum spine. Two of his assistants came flying into the room when he said OMG because he NEVER EVER says that, they assumed something very bad had happened.

He also said he couldnt believe kids were beibg taught that.

If you are standing tall at LFT, it also throws that stress against the lumbar spine. That is why you should always land on a little backwards lean, so the force is more absorbed on an up and down stress on the spine as it is designed to work.

Demonstrate the forward dip and tell them how many years she used that motion. Give them ALL the pertinent data and see how they react. Be sure to also add that she would spring up AS sdhe was driving forward. They might pass out.
 

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