Oblique Injuries on the Rise in Competitive Sports

Never heard of oblique injuries? You soon will. Obliques are the four flat muscles that connect the rib cage and pelvis on each side of the human body. In recent years, experts have become concerned that these muscles are not withstanding the beating they're taking from competitive athletes and sports. As a result of compressed practice and game day schedules, increased number of exhibition games and tournaments, and earlier season starts, coaches, players and trainers are seeing more injuries to the obliques than ever before.

The Old Days of Competitive Sports

Back in the old days, there was no such thing as obliques or oblique injuries. On the contrary, if athletes sustained injuries to this area, they were simply referred to as injuries to the abdomen, abdominal muscles, lower chest and rib cage. But, with the advent of more advanced technology, particularly Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the diagnoses of injuries in this area of the human body have become much more exacting as medical experts could actually specify the type of injury sustained by competitive athletes.

Modern Day Competitive Sports

Today, it's not uncommon for athletes to suffer an injury to the oblique muscles. These kinds of injuries are particularly problematic for baseball players who are called upon repeatedly during the course of a game or series to twist, turn and apply great force while up to bat. Competitive golfers commonly sustain injuries to the obliques for the same reason. It's the rotational action, experts report, that can strain or tear the oblique muscles over time.

Treating Injuries to the Oblique Muscles

The best way to heal after suffering an injury to the oblique muscles is to rest and allow time to take its course. To help the healing process along, particularly when the injury is new, both heat and ice can ease the pain and inflammation and, even, stimulate the muscles to heal. Doctors and trainers also use strategic taping methods to keep the muscles in place to facilitate the healing process. Over-the-counter pain medications or remedies and a diet high in Vitamin C, ginger root and Omega 3 fatty acids can also help reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation associated with oblique injuries.

Preventing Oblique Injuries

Oblique injuries are very painful and can often require competitive athletes in high school, college and professional sports to forgo playing their sports for up to a month or more as they recover from these injuries. Some athletes experience chronic problems with the oblique muscles, putting them on the bench more often than they'd like. As you can imagine, this puts a huge strain on both the individual competitors and whole teams. In the past, to prevent these kinds of injuries, teams focused their athletic routines on stretching and strengthening the core. But, those strategies don't seem to be stemming the tide against oblique injuries. As a result, some teams and athletic programs are doing just the opposite and, surprisingly, seeing a decrease in injuries to the oblique muscles.

RESOURCES

American College of Sports Medicine
www.acsm.org

Vexing Rise in Oblique Injuries, and Little Explanation
By Michael S. Schmidt in New York Times (April 11, 2011)

Oblique injuries putting a strain on several major league teams
By Jorge L. Ortiz in USA Today (07/3/2008)