Category Archives: Other

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Danijel Subasic’s Hamstring Strain

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Croatia’s star goalkeeper Danijel Subasic injured a right hamstring muscles in the World Cup quarter final match with Russia  on July 9th, 2018. Subasic completed the game and the penalty shootout.

A strain is a muscle tear.  The hamstrings are a set of muscles in the back of the thigh that bend the knee. There was no information on the severity of the muscle tear. Muscle tears typically occur under an eccentric load, meaning that the muscle is forcibly lengthened when it is contracting (shortening).    

Strains can be diagnosed based on symptoms and examination.  People are tender over the are of injured muscle and there is pain with muscle stretching. Muscle strains heal over time.  Treatment is for alleviation of symptoms alone.

It’s safe to play with a muscle strain.  It’s a matter of being comfortable enough to be effective. Subasic played in Croatia’s win against England and Croatia’s loss in the World Cup Final against France.  

This blog post was written by Paul Bonilla and David Ring.

All Blogs, Baseball, Other

Kevin Pillar’s Sternoclavicular Joint Sprain

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On July 14th, 2018, the Toronto Blue Jays’ center fielder Kevin Pillar was injured diving to catch a pop up in the third inning against the Red Sox. Pillar went down hard on his right elbow. He returned to the dugout holding his neck. He did not return to the game and was taken to the hospital.

X-Rays and CT scans were obtained at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. According to Blue Jays’ head physical trainer Nikki Huffman, “there are a bunch of ligaments in the joint capsule there, and he stretched through it.” The diagnosis is a grade 1-2 Sternoclavicular SC joint sprain, meaning partial tearing of the ligaments.

The sternum (breastbone) connects to the clavicle (collarbone) where the upper chest meets the neck. A forceful impact, usually during a fall, can dislocate this joint. There is some danger if the clavicle dislocates posteriorly towards blood vessels and the trachea (windpipe).

Recommended treatment was immobilization of the arm in a sling. He is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.

This blog was written by Katharine Clement and David Ring.

Baseball, Other

Deven Marrero Strained Oblique

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Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Deven Marrero was placed on the 10 day disabled list on June 30th with what was described as a strained left oblique. The injury occurred during batting practice.

The oblique muscles attach to the rib cage and help rotate the trunk of the body.  A strain—partial tearing—of the oblique muscle can occur during a forceful twisting of the body during a swing.  This type of injury also occurs in cricket players and javelin throwers.

People with an oblique strain have pain in the side with rotation of the trunk. Muscle strains heal with time. It is important to keep active and flexible.  It’s difficult to swing and throw effectively during the initial week or two when the strain is most painful. Baseball players typically return between 1 and 3 weeks of an oblique strain.

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Other athlete media coverage of oblique strains:

  • Michael Wacha had an oblique strain on June 22nd, 2018.  It was reported that he had an MRI to confirm the severity of the strain, but there is no established value to this step.  It seems like athletes get an MRI for just about everything and most are unnecessary. Wacha is hopeful that his absence will be measured in weeks, not months, but such injuries have been known to linger. No information on treatment.
  • Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Robbie Ray left the game on April 29th, 2018 with a strained right oblique. Ray’s MRI revealed a grade 2 strain, meaning more than a slight tear in the muscle, but not a complete detachment. Ray returned to play after 5 weeks. The use of MRI for an oblique strain is puzzling. We know from the mechanism, the location of pain reported and tenderness identified that there is an oblique strain. Surgery is never considered for this type of injury. When a player is comfortable enough to play effectively, the player returns to play. MRI does not aid diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis.

This blog was written by Paul Bonilla and David Ring.