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

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Dec 7, 2011
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BACK IN THE SADDLE!

DD went "live" for the first time since early spring. She had 50 pitches to use (per doctors plan yet).

Well first two batters got free passes but after that, YIPPEE,she shut them down for four innings here in nationals! (That first walk did sneak in but after four complete we were up 4-1)

It wasn't the power K pitcher yet that she is but there was good fb corner control. I am a gleaming proud father again where this years bad mono then the broken back appears to have been overcome!

Well tomorrow she is to sit out of the circle still abiding by the doctors plan (every other day) but I can't wait for Saturday!!!!

When she came out she said "man I was so nervous I almost threw up in my mouth"......

Way to go kid! Know ya ain't watch in here but I love ya and Congrats!
 
Dec 7, 2011
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Nationals day 2 update:

In her second day of availability here (daddy still being strict to plan) she went her limited four innings scoreless in the second day still in winners bracket. Not to say there wasn't excitement - this teams coach does not know her and called all fastballs but one and the opposition was starting to get her timed. BUT she got through it with flying colors.

So any of you folks out there in DFP cyber-world that get confronted with this silent-injury for pitchers know that this plan appears to have worked.

Next update will hopefully be signing day coming up soon then hopefully a banner senior year.

Ciao all and best wishes!
 
Jul 30, 2013
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So any of you folks out there in DFP cyber-world that get confronted with this silent-injury for pitchers know that this plan appears to have worked.

Congratulations to your DD on her progress and comeback. Thank you again for sharing your story and the play by play of recovery.

At some point we would love to see the total time and plan in a few bullet points so that we can compare our DD's plan to your DD's obviously successful plan. I am especially interested in the progression of the pitching week by week. We want to make sure we are taking it slow.

Our DD is in the brace 24/7 and doing PT for 4 weeks (hips only, no core yet) to be followed by brace 16 hours a day and core PT, then after another 4 weeks starts back to pitching.

A few years ago she had a hip injury and there was a "back to running" protocol and a "back to pitching" protocol. It sounds like your DD did a specific back to pitching protocol. Can you share the specifics? (Like week one: 20 pitches a day, week two: 40 pitches a day ....... week ten: 4 innings every other day etc.)

She has several showcases in October and November and we want to be realistic of where she might be at that point. Her TB coach has been great and doesn't want her to pitch until she's ready, but she's really anxious because she missed a lot of the summer. We just want to have a realistic idea of where she might be so that we can set the expectation now and keep her on the right track.

Thanks again
 
Dec 7, 2011
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No problem - here is the total timeline of bullets:

Timeline:
• Last pain inducing event date marked as “start of recovery from single-side pars break”. May 4th was her last back spasm from a torso-torque event.
• First three weeks were effectively no activity beyond the PT muscle-stretching and band-stretching. (twice a week with PT for 60-75 minutes)
• Those 3 weeks were of ZERO torque events on the back – basically no sports – PT focused on hamstring tightness and any core-relative stretching that will prepare the core for best recovery.
• After 3 weeks DD was OK’d to start her return to more rigorous activity including recumbent bike and swimming. (no high impact or anything torque-inducing yet)
• 6th week DD was cleared to pick up a bat and start a gradual reentry to the game of softball (practiced with team and played 1st base in practice). Remember six weeks is the minimum bone healing time.
• 9th week DD cleared to make her first practice pitch – we did low energy walkthru’s on the dirt field. (going to avoid hard surfaces at almost all costs…)
• The pitch-count ramp plan = pitch 3 times a week max; 20 pitches per time; then every week thereafter increase by 25% the days pitch counts (example : week 10 was 3 times a week max; 25 pitches per time)
• End of week 12 the coach & I wanted to get her into one live inning in a game that didn’t mean anything but all the games were tight. Boooo….
• Week 13 (Nationals week) – DD was up to an allowed 50 pitches and she went 2 “every-other-day” days of 4 innings ONLY for that appearance. Her last game was exactly 50 pitches at the last out.
 
Dec 7, 2011
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Would love to hear from ANYBODY who even hears about any softball pitcher that went through a spondy (spondylolysis - stress fracture of the 'pars interarticularis'.

I keep on reading about the "silent but frequent" occurrence of this pitcher ailment but to date I have only met one dad who's DD had the EXACT same injury who is also a riseball specialist as my DD.

Anyone???

Note -

I now have (9) other pars break confirmations through this site from private messages and JUST learned last Tuesday that another top pitcher from my hometown area has also been taken down by this same injury.

If I were a stats man I would love to be able to work out the probability of this injury across the nation JUST based on the sample that has been collected in the little thread I started here.

To recap - THIS YEAR ONLY - I have (9) reported pars breaks in pitchers through DFP and (4) just from my little 75,000 population area.

Parents of pitchers => PLEASE enforce 6 weeks of down-time a year from anything torso-torqueing. (I would make a plea for more but I don't want to get attacked like Hal ;-)
 
Dec 7, 2011
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And - "Kudo's" to you my awesome little 6' DD for after missing all HS and the first few weeks of TB to bring in stats like ya did:
(ERA .82, Batting Ave=.403 & OPS=1.026)

I will say an extra prayer of thanks tonight :)
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
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Hi RB,

When all those young pitchers back in PA in 2000 were found to have ;Spinal stress fractures to the lumbar spine', there were enough of them that it made the newspapers. One pitcher's dad talked with another, that knew another, that heard of anotherf, etc.

After talking with several he discovered that they ALL had the same instructor. He also found out that all the pitchers were diagnosed by tyhe same two Ortho doctors. He met with the two doctors and presented them with what he had learned. Both doctors took it very seriously as both had more than a couple pitchers as patients.

At one point some of the pitchers demonstrated how they pitched for the doctors. The doctors immediately pointed out the 'Forward Dip' as the exact movement that caused the injuries. The doctors themselves then contacted the media and told the media about this very unsafe pitching motion and called it dangerous.

I recall you saying, in effect, your daughter had pitched using that motion for a few years, awhile back. THAT was the huge red flag that went up for me.

I know these spinal injuries can be caused by doing a 'Forward Dip'. We had a poster oin this board say his daughter had this same injury, however, she did not do a forward dip. She did go through her motions standing straight up and came to a stop standing straight up. This also pl;aces great stress on the lumbar spine.

If I might suggest, please find out if the pitchers in your immediate area (4 of them?) have the same instructors. Were they taught the forward dip? Do they all stand tall when they come to a stop at LFT? See if you can determine the connection they all might have, like the guy in PA did years ago.

Sounds like you have an on-going investigation in that direction already. Good job.
 
Jul 30, 2013
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Thank you for the play by play. It's very hepful. We just passed 10 weeks - she's starting back to pitching this week. PT was the same but she was in brace for 24/7 for 4 weeks and then out of brace only for PT for next 4 weeks. Finally out of brace now and still in PT doing extensions. She feels great and is so happy to be out of that brace. PT says she's much stronger than when she walked in 2 months ago.

Also, make that 10 reported, another pitcher in our area with a mis-diagnosis last spring. She had bone scan to confirm and is now starting correct treatment.
 
Dec 7, 2011
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To update this continuing saga -

Since the end of last years nationals:
1. Against my wishes DD went right into VB at HS. (she said she loved that sport too much to let it go and not play her senior year...)
2. DD DID take complete down-time again from end of nationals to the start of VB practice (good)
3. DD HS VB team DID end up going to state - so it all seemed worth it then.
4. When VB ended DD started to complain again of more lumbar pain (Holy #%$! not again.....)
5. Another MRI then CT-scan later and we confirmed the original pars break is indeed healed - so this should not be the source of new pain.
6. Had further assessment by our Big10 Ortho doc and he now concluded this => The sacroiliac joint (joint from pelvis to left leg specifically - not the right) is in a chronically aggrevated pain state. OK, "whew" no broken bone this time but now something else to deal with. Well apparently DD has been changing, or better put, "metamorphisizing" her kinetic chain (the geometries from her feet through her spine) through all the correct core and PT rehab she has been doing. What we believe has happened now is the sacroiliac or SI joint is now complaining about being used in a different angle-set than it never has been used before. This all makes sense to me but doggonit when is DD going to be pain free?!?!?!
7. Doc ordered up a steroid injection for her SI joint to "zap" it out of this chronic pain state. It is now going to be further burden for DD to muscle-up the core AND BALANCED so that when the shot wears off the SI joint is now "accustomed" to the new mechanics of the entire kinetic chain. WOW.....
8. Well last night was the first pitches back in action for DD since August last year. Will she be able to get into top form for her senior year in HS - no way. AND we are not going to do anything more about that then just roll with the controlled ramp back into pitching. If she can get sharp by end of year playoffs then wonderful - BUT WE AINT PUSHIN IT. DD did throw allot better last night than I thought she would. Changeup was a little wild but hey..... :)

Focus right now is a controlled ramp back into action again AND every other day when DD is "off" SB she will be working on core AND the complimentary muscles on twisting the core the opposite direction of her normal righty mode.

Morale of the story is:
A. "It aint over til it's over"
B. THe kinetic chain, feet thru spine, is an incredibly complex, mysterious, and oh so critically overlooked item in a young pitchers existence (until something goes wrong)
C. The fortitude of a youth with a goal is a beautiful thing to behold. (Know that DD's mother & I are WAY more inclined to tell DD to consider her overall health first, physical and mental, before jumping into the next rehab. We had some tough moments again in DD deciding to move forward with the injection and new recovery plan. But it was HER decision and I allowed it after we weighed the risks.)

DD yesterday talked with a gleam in her eye about visualizing being on the mound next year at college. DD's mom n I later shared with each other that it was friggin wonderful that DD is having these visions because it tells us she knows she will get there and conquer this lumbar demon of hers. Then we further shared with each other the confirmation in our minds of the overall AMAZING value of high-end sports in developing and maturing a youth. We both know that with DD ending up on top of all this adversity and challenge that she will be ready for whatever life throws at her. So to those that like to pick apart high-end sports or in general putting your child into challenging scenarios,... I say "Nuts!"....
 
Jul 30, 2013
5
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Wow, she's been through a lot this year. Glad to hear it wasn't a break again! She seems so determined, I have no doubt she'll take the time she needs and make it back to the top. Good Luck to you both. Ours is now 6 months out of the brace and was able to make it back at the end of the Fall season and then took some down time over the holidays. She's 100% now going into the HS season and actually stronger than before. The PT and doc recommended core strengthening to give her extra support on the spine. She has been doing pilates and yoga along with typical core training and is really strong. It's been a very long year for her too and we thank you for sharing your DD's story to help us all understand this complicated injury. Best wishes to your DD and we hope she has a great Sr. year.
 

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