weird or coincidence

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Okay, all the years of my life I had known maybe one person with Scoliosis. Now last night I have heard of a third this year and all 3 are pitchers. Two in the same town, different pitching coaches, the third in another state. 12U and 14U young ladies. Now with that said, is it something with them being too young to have the bodies handle the strains of continuous pitching?

wierd isn't it....

 

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Since my DD is a pitcher, I thought I'd check this out. Now in college, she's never had any symptoms related to this. It seems to be classified as a congenital disease, probably passed on at birth. There are more than likely a tremendous number of factors involved, possibly including muscle development (strength and support), physical build, and basic hereditary stuff.

What we may never know is how much our environment affects diseases like this. It could be aggravated by a certain pollutant that is prevalent in a certain area of the U.S. - Who knows??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis

 

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There is a 13yr that was DX. ?in NWO with it this summer and she is a pitcher.
One of the top 13yr old pitchers in NWO. IMO

 

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My wife had Scoliosis as a kid, and since her teenage years, has been walking around with rods fused to her spine. So, we watch our two DDs very carefully for any sign of the disease.

My one DD has been pitching for 5+ years now, and thankfully shows no signs. I think it has more to do with genetics than with physical activity, but I am not an expert, just a casual observer.

The one issue we have noticed is the fact that pitchers build muscle on their throwing side and need to compensate on the other side so that the spine is not pulled in one direction. A strength training program for the non-throwing side corrects this problem. But there is definitely a difference between muscle development problems and Scoliosis.

 

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I just thought it weird that you hear about people with it, but three people with it, two having or have to have surgery and rods inserted that are pitchers is out of the norm. I know no one else with it and thought it strange when I heard the one last night from Fla while talking to someone on her team...

I heard University of AZ is doing a study as well on arm injuries to young girls from overthrowing. The thought is they can throw as much as they can without damage like boys is now being looked at. Obviously any bad technique doesn't help, but it doesn't hurt to do studies...

 

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It is very interesting that you have run across so many pitchers with this problem recently. Most likely, it is a coincidence. So far, no activity is truly known to cause scoliosis. It does have a LOT to do with genetics. Family history is important, particularly if your ancestors are from the British Isles (Wales, Scotland, etc.). There seems to be a higher incidence in this ethnic group. Other genetic conditions can cause scoliosis as well. It is much more common in girls, more common for the curve to be on the right (regardless of hand preference), and tends to get worse during the teenage years, while the growth plates in the bones are still very active.
My DD pitches as well. She has had some problems with back spasms, but so far so good on the scoliosis.
It would be interesting to see if there is any correlation with sports. I would think field hockey would be worse for scoliosis than softball, but you never know...

 

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DD is a pitcher...at around 12 yrs old school nurse did their regular scoliosis check and advised us of a small curve in DDs spine, DR told us at the time that it COULD be due to her pitching...her right shoulder muscles had developed much faster than her left, causing the spine to bend (curve), twards the more developed side. We were proactive in the matter and quickly with the DRs advise did some PT on our own. DD did weight curls with the left side, started carrying all of her equipment on the left, etc, etc....with such a small curve, it was not difficult to straighten her out .

Now that DD is 16, she does workout with a very informed HS track & field coach, who specializes in female throwing athletes. He reminds her that for every positive there has to be a negative (that's not the term he uses, but you get the point), every workout must be balanced to keep yourself balanced as well as fit.

Now this is just one example, and I would advise anyone to speak to their DR and be honest with them about your DDs physical activity. We avoided surgery & braces, just by being aware of the degree of curve and curcumstances, most importantly DD was aware of what she could do to help make it better (she still carries her equipment bag on the left ;D).

BTW scoliosis was only mentioned by the school nurse, not the DR.

 

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Scoliosis runs in our family. My mother, myself, and my daughter were all diagnosed with scoliosis. What we learned is that it is treatable by a chiropractor if caught early enough. My daughter watched a class mate have rods put in her back while in middle school. My daughter also had scoliosis herself, but with a treatment plan through the chiropractor, she is no longer considered having scoliosis. She was diagnosed her freshman year.

Please note that once scoliosis reaches a certain stage, it is too late to be treated by a chiropractor. They need to be treated before it is necessary to have surgery.

I hope this helps.