Judge hurts oblique

[pokerplyr80]

Maybe guys in the past just played through stuff like that, or there are better methods to diagnose such injuries? I really have no idea these are just guesses. But teams are more cautious and hold players out to preserve long term health and protect multi million dollar investments. 50 or 100 years ago such concerns probably weren't that big of a deal.

[frankbmd]

I would reply to this thread from a medical perspective, but the reply would be obliquely misinterpreted.

[KCRfan1]

My take, which isn't worth anything, is players are over training. From a physical perspective most players have little body fat and are very trim. I believe that too much weight lifting and not enough stretching and being flexible have contributed greatly to the rise in injuries. The body also needs to rest and not trained every day. Muscles need time to recover and heal after workouts.

Doc you need to give us your opinion. I know you have some insight about this.

[mcgwirecom]

You need only take a look at the bodies of todays players vs those of players in the past. I'm think of guys like Jimmie Foxx (his muscles had muscles) and Ted Kluszewski. People always said how buff guys like this were. But if you look at many of the average players today they are in much better shape. All six packs and such. I really feel that the amount of muscle on todays players can cause more injuries than those of the past. Some of the injuries today were unheard of in the past. Guys tearing muscle off of bone! As the above poster noted, too much muscle not enough stretching. But I think the too much muscle versus their frame outweighs any stretching they would do.

[mcgwirecom]

Found some pics. Jimmie Foxx, and a guy who plays for the Royals.

[steve B]

For what it's worth, a guy I hung out with for a bit was a weightlifter/wrestler. Before most of the steroid stuff came out, he said a lot of people who took stuff got injured because while the muscles got stronger the joints and tendons didn't. And that injuries often came just after getting off the stuff so they could compete.
(But no, he never did any himself.... I have doubts. )

[packs]

I think players have always suffered these injuries, they just didn't know what to call them. Probably safe to assume Joe Wood likely tore his rotator cuff without knowing what a rotator cuff is. Maybe Lefty O'Doul and Dizzy Dean too. Overnight the magic was gone.

Jimmie Foxx fell off a cliff at 34 years old. I don't know what exactly happened, but clearly it was something physical and quickly debilitating. Could have even been his oblique. Could have been anything else, but highly unusual to go from one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time to nothing overnight.