Scapular Stress Fracture in a Professional Baseball Player

Seventeen years after professional baseball player Jim Eisenreich first developed symptoms of Tourette syndrome (TS), the correct diagnosis was finally made.At age 6, his rapid eye blinking led to a diagnosis of hyperactivity. “I was told I would grow out of it,” says the 39-year-old Eisenreich, who may have played his last game as a Los Angeles Dodger. “I knew I was different even then.”In the early 1980s, Eisenreich's condition first became public. Since then, his achievements as a professional athlete have made him a role model for other TS patients.Sports were always a haven for him as he grew up. “I found peace, comfort, and security in sports. Whatever the season, I played the sport—football, baseball, hockey,” says Eisenreich. “Socially, I didn't go to the movies or go out much with girls.”After 2 years in the minor leagues, he was called up by the Minnesota Twins in 1982 as an outfielder. During the season, a TS specialist recognized his grunting and sniffling as signs of the disease. “I had no idea what the specialist was talking about, and the Twins doctors dismissed it because I didn't have copralalia,” he says. The Twins team physician (an internist) prescribed a sedative. Then Eisenreich tried Inderal, which caused hyperventilation, and Catapres, which caused depression.

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Performance and Return to Sport Following Open Reduction Internal Fixation About the Elbow in Professional Baseball Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967119s00370 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽

pp. 2325967119S0037

Author(s):

Brandon J. Erickson ◽

Peter Nissen Chalmers ◽

John D’Angelo ◽

Kevin Ma ◽

Anthony A. Romeo

Keyword(s):

Stress Fracture ◽

Open Reduction ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Return To Sport ◽

Olecranon Fracture ◽

Professional Baseball ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Performance ◽

Olecranon Fractures

Objectives: The results of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of stress reactions and fractures of the olecranon in professional baseball players with regards to return to sport (RTS) are unknown. The purpose was to determine the RTS rate and performance in professional baseball players following ORIF of acute, displaced olecranon fractures and olecranon stress fractures, and to compare RTS rate and performance to matched controls. The authors hypothesized that there is a high rate of RTS in professional baseball players following ORIF of acute, displaced olecranon fractures and olecranon stress fractures with no significant difference in rate of RTS or performance, specifically related to the primary outcome performance variables of win-loss percentage (W-L%), WHIP ((walks +hits)/innings pitched), fielding independent pitching (FIP), and wins above replacement (WAR)) between cases and controls between cases and controls. Methods: All professional baseball players who underwent ORIF of the olecranon between 2010-2016 were included. Demographic and performance data (pre and post surgery) for each player was recorded. Performance metrics were then compared between cases and a group of matched controls. Results: Overall, 52 professional baseball players (average age 22.6 +/- 3.6 years) underwent ORIF of an olecranon fracture. The majority of players sustained a primary olecranon stress fracture (73%), that was fixed with one screw (60%), with a RTS rate of 67.5%. No difference in RTS rate existed between matched controls and the players. No significant difference existed between the primary preoperative and postoperative performance (change in performance) metrics for pitchers who underwent ORIF of an acute, displaced olecranon fracture or ORIF of a primary olecranon stress fracture. No significant difference existed between pitchers who underwent ORIF of a primary olecranon stress fracture and matched controls in any of the primary performance metrics. Conclusion: Professional baseball players who undergo ORIF of an olecranon fracture (either acute, displaced or stress fracture) have a RTS rate of 67.5%, which is no different than natural attrition from matched controls. No decline in performance metrics is seen in players who are able to RTS when compared to their preoperative performance, or to the performance of matched controls.

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