pitcher hip pain

My son has had issues with hip flexor and I have had both my hips replaced. Both of us would have been better off if we would have done more to increase flexibility. I would suggest a good yoga regimen. 

Be sure and dart him in his oppo hip. 

Yes, my son had hip pain. From his description sounded like a hip pointer injury - mostly had it his freshman year. I think he got it during football season,. It lingered for a year or so. He just played through the pain, and fortunately, it eventually went away.

Mine had hip flexor issues.  He changed his technique.  He was not coming over his front leg, so all the force was jamming his hip.

A teammate if my son had a hip issue that sounded similar to what you described.  Pain in the hip that not only caused considerable discomfort but also affected his lower half drive and velocity.  This situation persisted for many, many months and got worse over time.  I don't know what the condition is called, but his dad explained that he developed some sort of growth on the "ball" at the top the femur.  The fix was surgery in which the surgeon pulled the hip ball out of the socket and grinded down the growth. I think you should definitely get it looked at. 

Smitty28 posted:

A teammate if my son had a hip issue that sounded similar to what you described.  Pain in the hip that not only caused considerable discomfort but also affected his lower half drive and velocity.  This situation persisted for many, many months and got worse over time.  I don't know what the condition is called, but his dad explained that he developed some sort of growth on the "ball" at the top the femur.  The fix was surgery in which the surgeon pulled the hip ball out of the socket and grinded down the growth. I think you should definitely get it looked at. 

Yikes.  I was thinking that something like what you describe could be a worst case--and I definitely plan to get the boy to an orthopedist to get checked out.  

My son's hip soreness has lingered quite a while, but hasn't worsened so far as I can tell.  But while I'm pondering dark scenarios... what was the recovery time from this surgery for your son's teammate?  And did he return to the mound?  

Smitty28 posted:

A teammate if my son had a hip issue that sounded similar to what you described.  Pain in the hip that not only caused considerable discomfort but also affected his lower half drive and velocity.  This situation persisted for many, many months and got worse over time.  I don't know what the condition is called, but his dad explained that he developed some sort of growth on the "ball" at the top the femur.  The fix was surgery in which the surgeon pulled the hip ball out of the socket and grinded down the growth. I think you should definitely get it looked at. 

My son had this, (or something similar).  Started every February when HS ball started.  Was told then to be sure to stretch his flexor muscles.  Then,  freshman year in college he heard a "pop".   MRI showed it was "Hip impingement".  It is usually inherited and bilateral.  He played through the pain freshman year then in the summer had surgery one month on one hip and 4 weeks later the other hip.  No baseball that summer, but he started again sophomore year.

Son is an infielder.  Hips seem great now. 

Now we are trying to keep his left arm in the socket.  ARGH!  

Chico, if you have questions about the hip impingement surgery, if it comes to that, please PM me.  Son was doing PT the next day, and driving within a week.  The worst part for him was not tolerating the anesthesia.  

Does he have pain into his groin? Certain activities bother him? "joint pain" in the hip is certainly not something to play around with, but can sometimes be managed for awhile too. I'd suggest making an appointment not necessarily urgently (unless it's stopping him) but in the near future. I'd assume at a minimum X-Rays are warranted and possibly an MRI arthrogram. Probably need to consider ruling out FAI and a labrum tear, based on pain location. 

Bulldog 19 posted:

Does he have pain into his groin? Certain activities bother him? "joint pain" in the hip is certainly not something to play around with, but can sometimes be managed for awhile too. I'd suggest making an appointment not necessarily urgently (unless it's stopping him) but in the near future. I'd assume at a minimum X-Rays are warranted and possibly an MRI arthrogram. Probably need to consider ruling out FAI and a labrum tear, based on pain location. 

The pain just seems to be localized in the hip, and hasn't prevented him from pitching or gotten any worse over many months (but also has gotten no better).  I noticed because his walk was a bit gimpy after a recent start that went fairly long.  

An athletic trainer whose expertise I trust checked the boy out this week and said she thinks it is a flexibility issue--one that will require more than just stretches he can do on his own.  So he will try that path.  Said trainer also recommended that he see a doctor to rule out more serious problems, and I made an appointment with an orthopedist.  

I don't think this is going to keep him off the mound .  The timing would be terrible, since this is the summer before his senior year of HS.  The boy is mad at me for making him go to the doctor, but I'm readying my whip and chair to get him into the X-ray and/or MRI machine as needed. 

Definitely get it checked out. 16 y/o pitcher we knew played pretty much the entire HS season with nagging hip pain. Finally got it checked out recently and it was a fracture in his growth plate.  

I was looking for something in some old posts and came across this one--thought I should update:  My son saw a sports medicine orthopedist.  That doctor said he felt confident there was nothing serious going on, but wanted to do an MRI to be certain.  Turned out that my son had a torn labrum in his hip.  The doc recommended physical therapy, said surgery was an option if things didn't resolve and the pain was a problem.

The boy went to a local physical therapist who has worked with a lot of pitchers, including a few pros.  The upshot was that my son was tilting his body too far back at the top of his motion.  This wasn't generating any additional velo, so there was no need for it; and the over-rotation was causing the injury (long story--due to the shape of the top of his femur; might not be a problem at all for most Ps).  Over the course of the winter the boy did weekly PT to strengthen relevant muscles and worked on changing his delivery (not easy after years of throwing the same way).  By the time he started throwing again in late winter he was feeling ok, and he had no hip pain during the outings he had in spring prior to the pandemic shutdown and in summer.  The issue seems to be resolved--no surgery needed.

The morals of the story (IMO):  1) Parents should pay attention to their instincts.  I noticed my son was limping several times after pitching and it just didn't look good.  He insisted he was fine and I let it go for a few weeks, but ultimately I just felt like he needed to go to the doctor and I pretty much hogtied him and dragged him there.  (Advice in this thread and in some PMs was invaluable.  Thanks to all for your help.)  2) PT can't fix everything, but it's pretty darn great.  Take it seriously and do the work. 

Hopefully he gets well soon. That shows the importance of seeing a doctor. If you have pain give it a week or two of rest and if that doesn't help see a doctor.

Chico, it's good to hear from you and I'm happy to hear that PT has helped so much!