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  • Any Baseball Superstars?

    Greetings!

    We found out in December that our 15 yr old son, Chris had a 47 degree curve....last summer he went thru a huge growth spurt and then we found this out....we were shocked! He just had his second xray and he is now at 53 degrees (6 degrees in 6 months...yikes). We have surgery scheduled in July....so reading ya'lls notes helps us immensly...thanks for being so caring!

    Our question is do ya'll know anyone who has the surgery who is a baseball star? Chris was starting short stop and was one of two Sophmores on the Varsity team this year. He has been playing baseball since he could walk....needless to say it is a big part of his life. I know every surgery is an individual experience but if anyone knows of anyone who played baseball and then returned to the sport, that would be so very helpful

    Thanks!

  • #2
    I can't answer your question about baseball stars with scoliosis, but I do know there is a professional billiards/pool (what is the politically correct term?) who has scoliosis. Jeanette Lee. There are several celebs who have publicly mentioned their scoliosis conditions. Not sure about baseball tho.

    If he were my son, one of the first questions I'd be asking the doc is about timing of the surgery. Is he still at a stage where he's able to wait another 6 months and see if the scoli progresses? If it has, you would consider surgery at that point. If he loves baseball as much as it sounds, I'd hope your surgeon is willing to negotiate this part. Understand that there are many variables, including how flexible his spine is, how much (or not) rotation he has, his Risser score, etc. I'm guessing that if his spine is fairly stable (6 degrees in 6 months is almost within the margin of error) that it won't progress that much because he's already had a growth spurt. He will likely have another growth spurt in a year or two or more. My point is that this needs much discussion before deciding on surgery. Weigh the pros and cons. He likely won't have the stamina to play baseball 100% next spring if he has surgery this summer (he may, and maybe his restrictions will be lifted sooner than most, etc). What does he think? Is he willing to talk about how he feels and what he wants/needs?

    Good luck and keep us posted.
    Carmell
    mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Baseball Mom
      Our question is do ya'll know anyone who has the surgery who is a baseball star? Chris was starting short stop and was one of two Sophmores on the Varsity team this year. He has been playing baseball since he could walk....needless to say it is a big part of his life. I know every surgery is an individual experience but if anyone knows of anyone who played baseball and then returned to the sport, that would be so very helpful
      I'm hesitant to claim "star" status - LMAO (that just sounds funny to self-proclaim), but I've played fast and slow pitch softball since age 6. I'll be 40 in July, so I've played the better part of my life. Generally, I'm starting 2B on all my teams.

      At the time I decided to have surgery, I was playing in maybe 4 different leagues (ASA 18+ Women's Fastpitch, ASA Women's Slowpitch, ASA Coed Slowpitch, USSSA Coed League ... and USSSA Tourney Slowpitch when I had time). I played 8-10 slowpitch games a week and at least a Sunday fast pitch double header.

      At 14-1/2 weeks post-op, I'm very close to a release to return to ball ... even though my surgeon knows HOW I play ball. Hanson is fully aware I slide, I dive, I throw harder than most guys with a whipping semi-sidearm ... and mostly, that I'm stupid competitive. He's under no illusion I'll go back and play half-a** ;-).

      He released me to ease back into the cages about 3-4 weeks ago, but no play until June.

      Coincidentally, my curve measured ±53° when I had surgery, also.

      One thing to bear in mind, I had a graft combined with rhBMP-2 (which can cut fusion by 1/2 to 3/4 of normal time). A large percentage of surgeons don't use BMP on adolescents, and therefore, he *may* be restricted for a longer period if he has surgery. Maybe not.

      Best of luck on whatever y'all decide!

      Regards,
      Pam
      Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
      AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


      41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
      Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
      Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


      VIEW MY X-RAYS
      EMAIL ME

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      • #4
        My son's physical therapist just yesterday told us that swinging a bat, and the rotating action involved in that would put additional pressure on Alexander's unfused discs and vertebrae. This seems to be because the part of the spine that's fused won't twist and rotate so all that occurs above, and especially below, the fusion. So baseball wasn't recommended as a competitive sport for my son. But Alexander never played baseball competitively or really at all. I bet it's different for someone like Pam or your son who are already in really great shape from the sport and who know all the right moves to do.
        Laurie

        Mother of Alexander & Zachary:
        Alex is 16 years old and in the 11th grade. He has congenital scoliosis due to a hemivertebrae at T10. Wore a TLSO brace for 3 1/2 years. Pre-op curves were T45 & L65; curves post-op are approx. T31 & L34. Had a posterior spinal fusion from T8 to L3 on 7/12/07 at age 12. Doing great now in so many ways, but still working on improving posture.
        Zach is 13 years old and very energetic.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by laurieg6
          My son's physical therapist just yesterday told us that swinging a bat, and the rotating action involved in that would put additional pressure on Alexander's unfused discs and vertebrae. This seems to be because the part of the spine that's fused won't twist and rotate so all that occurs above, and especially below, the fusion. So baseball wasn't recommended as a competitive sport for my son. But Alexander never played baseball competitively or really at all. I bet it's different for someone like Pam or your son who are already in really great shape from the sport and who know all the right moves to do.
          Yes, actually, proper batting form - and power - comes from leading into a pitch/swing with the hips, and weight transfer (just like golf).

          The trunk barely rotates ... it simply follows, and additional power comes from the pulling hand (left if right-handed, right if left-handed). Then again, not everyone is a hard pull hitter, and I assume your natural swing could be modified if the pulling was an issue.

          I wonder if the structural aspects (i.e., hemivert) of Alexander's case also factor in ...

          Regards,
          Pam
          Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
          AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


          41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
          Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
          Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


          VIEW MY X-RAYS
          EMAIL ME

          Comment


          • #6
            Well now the hemivertebra is part of the fusion so it's the reason why my son still has curves in the 30's despite a fairly flexible spine prior to surgery. It, and the brace, do seem to be why Alexander never really felt good at, or wanted to play, competitive, team sports. Maybe learning to bat well would be a challenge for his spine. The PT said that basketball would be a great sport for him to practice but not baseball as much - the PT never said absolutely never to play baseball though. I'm just glad he's finally getting PT and really building up some strength and endurance.
            Laurie

            Mother of Alexander & Zachary:
            Alex is 16 years old and in the 11th grade. He has congenital scoliosis due to a hemivertebrae at T10. Wore a TLSO brace for 3 1/2 years. Pre-op curves were T45 & L65; curves post-op are approx. T31 & L34. Had a posterior spinal fusion from T8 to L3 on 7/12/07 at age 12. Doing great now in so many ways, but still working on improving posture.
            Zach is 13 years old and very energetic.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thank you so very much for your insights! It put a BIG smile on me and my hubbies face to read your tales about baseball. I'll keep in touch and let you know how things proceed.

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              • #8
                I am sorry I did not see your post earlier. This month it will be one year ago that my 16 year old daughter had her surgery. I am sorry that I do not know all of the techincal terms for her curvature, other than it was in the lower part of her spine and was almost 70 degrees at the time of her surgery. Her curve was aggravated by a tethered spinal cord that was taken care of two years ago.

                My daughter is athletic and her favorite sport is softball. She started playing when she was five years old. She started pitching when she was around nine years old. Her surgeon told her that she would most likely be able to continue playing after she recovered from her surgery. He did say, however, if she was a catcher, that would not be a position she would be able to return to.

                In a nutshell, softball open gym started after the first of the year. She started slow, did some conditioning, weight lifting and took it easy getting back into it. She was ready for tryouts in March and made her high school varsity team as the starting pitcher. She is now playing ASA fast pitch softball and is doing great. In fact, she has improved because she is straighter.

                One thing that we noticed is she stiffens up when it is cold. I am guessing it is because of the rods along her spine getting cold. I may be wrong. We bought those instant heating pads and taped them onto the stiff part of her back before she played and it seemed to help.

                One year ago today, we were very frightened. We knew she would be better afterward but it didn't help with the fact that she had to go through quite a bit to get there. To all of you parents out there who are facing what we went through, we were in your shoes and I want you to know that it will all be okay. It is never easy having to watch someone you love beyond words go through this. We are not given a choice to do this in their stead. However, I think you will be surprised at just how much strength your child has. I know we were surprised with our daughter's strength. She recovered quicker than we would have ever imagined and she is now better than she was before. Hang in there.

                Sincerely,

                Shannon

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                • #9
                  T-mac has scoliosis

                  I know Tracy Macgrady a basketball superstar has scoliosis.

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