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Outcomes of cervical and lumbar disk herniations in Major League Baseball pitchers

David W Roberts1, Gilbert J Roc, Wellington K Hsu

  • 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. d-roberts1@md.northwestern.edu

Orthopedics
|August 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers with cervical or lumbar disk herniations have a high rate of return to play. Lumbar disk herniations showed a faster return to play timeline compared to cervical ones.

Area of Science:

  • Orthopedics
  • Sports Medicine
  • Baseball Analytics

Background:

  • Cervical and lumbar disk herniations are potential career-altering injuries for athletes.
  • The specific impact of these injuries on Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the career and performance outcomes for MLB pitchers following cervical or lumbar disk herniation.
  • To determine the return-to-play rates and timelines after surgical or non-operative treatment for these conditions.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review of 40 MLB pitchers diagnosed with cervical or lumbar disk herniation between 1984 and 2009.
  • Analysis of return-to-play status and average time to return after diagnosis and/or treatment.

Main Results:

  • Eleven pitchers had cervical disk herniations, with 8 undergoing surgery. A majority (8/11) returned to play at an average of 11.6 months.
  • Twenty-nine pitchers had lumbar disk herniations, with 20 undergoing surgery. All 29 (100%) returned to play at an average of 7.3 months post-diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • Both cervical and lumbar disk herniations in MLB pitchers demonstrate a high rate of return to play.
  • Pitchers with lumbar disk herniations tend to return to play sooner than those with cervical disk herniations.

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