Karriereverlauf von Auswahlspielern der Major League Baseball mit Spondylolyse oder lumbalem Bandscheibenvorfall

Objective: Lumbar spondylolysis (SPONDY) and lumbar disc herniation (DISC) are common lumbar spine injuries that occur in baseball athletes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Major League Baseball (MLB) draftees with a history of SPONDY or DISC have shorter career length, lower level of professional advancement, and longer cumulative time on the injured list than healthy controls. Design: Retrospective analysis of data. Setting: Professional baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB®) Participants: Ninety-seven MLB draftees between 2012 and 2017 with a history of SPONDY (n = 68) or DISC (n = 29) were identified. Injury, demographic, and performance data were collected for each athlete. Controls (with no previous history of either injury) were matched to each athlete based on draft year, position, handedness, age, round drafted, and pick overall (±20 draft positions). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Athlete career length, time spent on injured list (IL), level of play. Results: Athletes with history of SPONDY or DISC had significantly shorter career lengths (866 ± 76 days and 751 ± 79 days respectively) compared to controls (1176 ± 68 days; p < 0.01). Retirement rate became significantly higher between injured (SPONDY or DISC) and matched control groups beginning at 1.5 years post-draft where a greater percentage of matched controls remained active out to 4 years (p < 0.05). Conclusion: While players with a history of SPONDY and DISC injuries may advance professionally at a similar rate compared to matched controls, MLB draftees with a history of SPONDY or DISC tend to have shorter careers.