Hip Abduction Strength: Relationship to Trunk and Lower Extremity Motion During A Single-Leg Step-Down Task in Professional Baseball Players

Background: Loss of upper and lower extremity range of motion (ROM) is a significant risk factor for injuries in professional baseball players. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose was to determine changes in ROM in professional baseball players over the course of a single season and their careers. We hypothesized that pitchers and position players would lose ROM, specifically total shoulder motion (total ROM [TROM]) and hip internal rotation (IR), over the course of a season and their careers. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Upper and lower extremity ROM measurements were recorded during pre-, mid-, and postseason on all professional baseball players for a single organization between 2011 and 2018. ROM measurements were compared for pitchers and position players over the course of the season and their careers. Also, ROM measurements over the pre-, mid-, and postseason were compared between pitchers and position players. Results: A total of 166 professional baseball players (98 pitchers, 68 position players) were included. Pitcher hip external rotation (ER; P < .001), IR ( P = .010), and TROM ( P < .001) for lead and trail legs decreased over the course of the season. Pitcher shoulder ER ( P = .005), TROM ( P = .042), and horizontal adduction ( P < .001) significantly increased over the course of the season. Position player shoulder flexion ( P = .046), hip ER ( P < .001, lead leg; P < .001, trail leg), and hip TROM ( P = .001; P = .002) decreased over the course of the season. Position player shoulder ER ( P = .031) and humeral adduction ( P < .001) significantly increased over the course of the season. Over the course of pitchers’ careers, there was decreased shoulder IR ( P = .014), increased shoulder horizontal adduction ( P < .001), and hip IR ( P = .042) and hip TROM ( P = .027) for the lead leg. Position players experienced loss of hip TROM ( P = .010, lead leg; P = .018, trail leg) over the course of their careers. Pitchers started with and maintained more shoulder ER and gained more shoulder TROM over a season as compared with position players. Conclusion: Pitchers and position players saw overall decreases in hip ROM but increases in shoulder ROM over the course of the season and career.

Download Full-text

Hamstring Graft Harvest Side Does Not Affect Performance or RTS Rates and Does Not Increase Risk for Future Hamstring Injuries Following UCL Reconstruction in Professional Baseball Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967119s00371 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽

pp. 2325967119S0037

Author(s):

Brandon J. Erickson ◽

Peter Nissen Chalmers ◽

John D’Angelo ◽

Kevin Ma ◽

Christopher S. Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Return To Sport ◽

Professional Baseball ◽

Concomitant Treatment ◽

Extremity Injury ◽

Hamstring Autograft ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Injury Rates ◽

Hamstring Injuries ◽

Graft Harvest

Objectives: Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) is a successful procedure in professional baseball players. It is unclear if hamstring tendon harvest side for UCLR alters a player’s risk of subsequent hamstring injuries. The purpose of this study was to compare, performance, return to sport (RTS) rate, and injury rates between professional baseball players with a history of UCLR using an ipsilateral (drive leg) hamstring autograft to those with UCLR using contralateral (landing leg) hamstring autograft. The authors’ hypothesized that players with prior UCLR using ipsilateral (drive leg) hamstring autograft will have the same RTS rate and performance upon RTS, but higher number of subsequent lower extremity injuries than those using contralateral (landing leg) hamstring autograft. Methods: All players between 2010-2015 who underwent UCLR using hamstring autograft were included. Surgical details of their procedure were recorded using operative reports. Players with a hamstring UCLR were compared within group to compare grafts taken from the drive leg vs. landing leg. Results: Overall, 191 players underwent UCLR using hamstring autograft (58 [30%] landing/contralateral and 133 [70%] ipsilateral/drive leg). The docking technique was more common in the contralateral/landing leg group while the figure-of-8 technique was more common in the ipsilateral/drive leg group (p>0.001). More patients in the ipsilateral/drive leg group underwent concomitant treatment of the ulnar nerve than the contralateral/landing leg group (p<0.001). No difference existed in return to sport (RTS) rates, or timing of RTS between groups. No differences in subsequent ipsilateral or contralateral hamstring injuries between players who underwent UCLR using hamstring from the ipsilateral/drive leg or contralateral/landing leg was seen (p=1.000; p=0.460 respectively). No difference in overall upper or lower extremity injury rates existed between groups. Conclusion: No difference in RTS rate, performance upon RTS, or subsequent hamstring, lower extremity, or upper extremity injury rates existed between players who underwent UCLR using hamstring autograft from the ipsilateral/drive or contralateral/landing leg.

Download Full-text

Muscle Strains in the Lower Extremity of Japanese Professional Baseball Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967120956569 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 232596712095656

Author(s):

Takeshi Kokubu ◽

Yutaka Mifune ◽

Noriyuki Kanzaki ◽

Yuichi Hoshino ◽

Kenichiro Kakutani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

High Intensity ◽

Case Series ◽

Return To Play ◽

Professional Baseball ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Musculotendinous Junction ◽

Lower Extremity Muscle

Background: Predicting when athletes can return to play after muscle strains is not always simple because of difficulties in evaluating the severity of such injuries. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to classify lower extremity muscle strains in Japanese professional baseball players. The hypothesis was that MRI grading can be used to diagnose the severity of muscle strains in the lower extremity and predict return to play in athletes. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 55 muscle strains occurred in the lower extremity of players on a professional baseball team between the 2006 and 2015 seasons; all players had undergone MRI examination. Age, player position, location of injury, cause of injury, and duration until return to play (in days) were extracted from the medical records. MRI scans were classified using the following system: grade 0, no abnormal findings; grade 1a, T2-weighted high intensity only between muscles; grade 1b, T2-weighted high intensity between muscles and in muscle belly; grade 2, injury of musculotendinous junction; and grade 3, rupture of tendon insertion. Results: The sites of injuries were distributed as follows: hamstrings (n = 33), quadriceps (n = 6), hip adductors (n = 6), and calves (n = 10). MRI findings revealed 9 muscle strains (16%), 19 grade 1a (34%), 19 grade 1b (34%), and 8 grade 2 muscle strains (16%). The length of time until return to training and competition, respectively, was 15 and 26 days for grade 1a injuries, 19 and 36 days for grade 1b injuries, and 55 and 69 days for grade 2 injuries. Conclusion: Players with grade 1 injuries took 4 to 5 weeks to return to play, whereas players with grade 2 injuries took 10 weeks to return. MRI can be useful for diagnosing lower extremity muscle strains and predicting the time to return to play.

Download Full-text

Gastrocnemius Injuries in Professional Baseball Players: An Epidemiological Study

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546520938759 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (10) ◽

pp. 2489-2498

Author(s):

Kristi Hultman ◽

Patrick F. Szukics ◽

Adrienne Grzenda ◽

Frank C. Curriero ◽

Steven B. Cohen

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Epidemiological Study ◽

Tracking System ◽

Injury Rate ◽

Lower Extremity Injury ◽

Professional Baseball ◽

Extremity Injury ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Time Out ◽

Common Activity

Background: Gastrocnemius injuries are a common lower extremity injury in elite baseball players. There are no current epidemiological studies focused on gastrocnemius injuries in professional baseball players that provide information on the timing, distribution, and characteristics of such injuries. Hypothesis: Gastrocnemius injury in professional baseball players is a common injury that is influenced by factors such as age, player position, and time of season. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: Based on Major League Baseball’s (MLB’s) Health and Injury Tracking System (HITS) database, gastrocnemius injuries that caused time out of play for MLB and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players during the 2011-2016 seasons were identified. Player characteristics, including age, level of play, and position at time of injury, were collected. Injury-specific factors analyzed included date of injury, time of season, days missed, and activity leading to injury. Results: A total of 402 gastrocnemius injuries (n = 145, MLB; n = 257, MiLB) occurred during the 2011-2016 seasons. MLB players were significantly older at the time of injury (30.1 years, MLB; 23.9 years, MiLB; P < .001). Base running (36.1%) was the most common activity causing the injury, followed by fielding (23.6%), with 50.3% of base-running injuries sustained on the way to first base. In MLB players, gastrocnemius injuries were most common in infielders (48.3%), followed by pitchers (27.6%) and then outfielders (17.9%), while for MiLB players the injuries were more evenly distributed (33.5%, 28.8%, and 30.7%, respectively). The frequency of injuries in MLB players dropped off after the start of the regular season, whereas MiLB players had a consistent injury rate throughout the year. Conclusion: Gastrocnemius injuries are a common cause of lower extremity injury in professional baseball players, resulting in significant time out of play. Base running, particularly to first base, was the most common activity during injury. Outfielders had the fewest injuries; however, they required the longest time to recover. This study provides the first investigation to date with the HITS database to examine the characteristics and distribution of gastrocnemius injuries in professional baseball players, offering insight into risk factors, injury prevention, and recovery expectations.

Download Full-text

Clinimetric properties of hip abduction strength measurements obtained using a handheld dynamometer in individuals with a lower extremity amputation

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0179887 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. e0179887 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ruud A. Leijendekkers ◽

Gerben van Hinte ◽

Amy D. Sman ◽

J. Bart Staal ◽

Maria W. G. Nijhuis-van der Sanden ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Lower Extremity Amputation ◽

Hip Abduction ◽

Abduction Strength ◽

Extremity Amputation

Download Full-text

Performance cognitive flexibility with and without a processing-speed component in professional baseball players

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e685912011-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Lena Prinzi

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Professional Baseball ◽

Baseball Players

Download Full-text

Lower Extremity Biomechanics Predicts Major League Baseball Player Performance

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/23259671211015237 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 232596712110152

Author(s):

Lucas G. Teske ◽

Edward C. Beck ◽

Garrett S. Bullock ◽

Kristen F. Nicholson ◽

Brian R. Waterman

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Major League Baseball ◽

Reaction Force ◽

Regression Trees ◽

Minimal Detectable Change ◽

Vertical Force ◽

Baseball Players ◽

Major League ◽

Lower Extremity Biomechanics ◽

Statistical Metrics

Background: Although lower extremity biomechanics has been correlated with traditional metrics among baseball players, its association with advanced statistical metrics has not been evaluated. Purpose: To establish normative biomechanical parameters during the countermovement jump (CMJ) among Major League Baseball (MLB) players and evaluate the relationship between CMJ-developed algorithms and advanced statistical metrics. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: MLB players in 2 professional organizations performed the CMJ at the beginning of each baseball season from 2013 to 2017. We collected ground-reaction force data including the eccentric rate of force development (“load”), concentric vertical force (“explode”), and concentric vertical impulse (“drive”) as well as the Sparta Score. The advanced statistical metrics from each baseball season (eg, fielding independent pitching [FIP], weighted stolen base runs [wSB], and weighted on-base average) were also gathered for the study participants. The minimal detectable change (MDC) was calculated for each CMJ variable to establish normative parameters. Pearson coefficient analysis and regression trees were used to evaluate associations between CMJ data and advanced statistical metrics for the players. Results: A total of 151 pitchers and 138 batters were included in the final analysis. The MDC for “load,” “explode,” “drive,” and the Sparta Score was 10.3, 8.1, 8.7, and 4.6, respectively, and all demonstrated good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.75). There was a weak but statistically significant correlation between the Sparta Score and wSB ( r = 0.23; P = .007); however, there were no significant correlations with any other advanced metrics. Regression trees demonstrated superior FIP with higher Sparta Scores in older pitchers compared with younger pitchers. Conclusion: There was a positive but weak correlation between the Sparta Score and base-stealing performance among professional baseball players. Additionally, older pitchers with a higher Sparta Score had statistically superior FIP compared with younger pitchers with a similar Sparta Score after adjusting for age.

Download Full-text