Core and Hip/Groin Injuries Common Among Major League Baseball Pitchers, Study Notes

Core and hip/groin injuries among Major League Baseball pitchers account for 21% of all pitching injuries that require time on the disabled list, and are associated with a high risk of reinjury, according to a study from Henry Ford Hospital.

Pitching workload appeared to have little or no effect on sustaining an injury, per the study, published recently in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery.

These types of injuries, underscore the interplay of the body’s mechanics and pitching motion, says Eric Makhni, MD, a Henry Ford sports medicine orthopedic surgeon and the study’s senior author.

“Not only are these injuries becoming more prevalent among professional baseball pitchers, but we are also seeing a relatively high rate of reinjury as well. Pitchers with these injuries require an extra 10 days on the disabled list when compared with position players,” he says, in a media release from Henry Ford Health System.

In the study, Makhni and his research team collected data of 330 pitchers who were placed on the disabled list for 454 injuries, collectively, for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The data was then compared for the core and hip/groin injury groups against all other injuries.

According to the release, pitchers spent an average of 47 days on the disabled list with a core injury, compared to 38 days for a hip/groin injury, and at least 73% of pitchers returned to pitch in the same season regardless of injury type.

In addition, per the study, the risk for returning to the disabled list for a reinjury was high: 46% for a core injury and 56% for a hip/groin injury. Also, pitching workload was not associated with a core or hip/groin injury.

Researchers also found that the amount of pitching does not appear to increase the risk for injury for core and hip/groin injuries. Pitchers with a core or hip/groin injury saw a slight dip in fastball velocity. A deviation in pitcher statistics from career averages may signal an underlying injury that requires further study, the release continues.

[Source(s): Henry Ford Health System, Newswise]