Softball is not supposed to be dangerous!!

[BYU 14]

Playing 10+ years of Football, boxing, skiing and various martial arts over the years I have accrued plenty of injuries.......But more than any other sport have come from friggin Softball!!

I ruptured my Achilles tendon tonight and will need surgery which now makes 5 major injuries in this 'recreational' sport, WTF!!! (Others include a broken Ankle, 2 broken arms and broken ribs, plus a concussion and various other minor stuff)

And if you had never had the pleasure, a ruptured achilles is one painful SOB and will be 4-6 months to get back to 100%.

I am done with Softball and moving onto something safe like sky diving next. Anybody else who plays softball had this many injuries? :banghead:

[SackAttack]

Cue tk coming in and haranguing you to quit your whining in 3...2...

[fantom1979]

The pitcher on my team does not have his knuckle on his ring finger on his left (catching hand). A guy hit a ball so hard at him that even though he caught the ball, the impact shattered his knuckle.

Personally, in 12 years, I have had two bad ankle sprains that required crutches. I have blown hammys and other minor stuff, but the ankles were the only thing close to a serious injury.

[SirFozzie]

Ouch, BYU.

[MacroGuru]

Tore the muscles and ligaments in my right arm from elbow to wrist and I also broke my left hand meta carpals.

If my hand wouldn't have healed in the cast they had me in, I would have had to have surgery and had screws and plates put into it and lose mobility of my hand.

Besides a blown knee in high school, more severe injuries in softball than football.

[CleBrownsfan]

ouch - sounds unbelievably painful! Good luck in the recovery...

My advise to you: Just become a couch potato ;)

[Ksyrup]

Sounds more like the onset of old age than the sport, IMO. You can break bones or rupton tendons doing anything. You just happened to be putting your body through softball when they happened.

I used to turn my ankle all the time playing basketball as a kid, nothing ever happened. Turned 30 and went jogging, turned my ankle on an uneven curb and broke it. Doc said it was mainly the build-up from turning my ankle so many times as a kid + getting older that finally did me in.

My daughter plays softball, and aside from line drives back up the middle, it isn't all that dangerous. Sure, they get hit with a pitch every now and then or tear up their legs sliding, but rarely anything else. Girls basketball, on the other hand, is closer to MMA than it is a real sport.

[BYU 14]

Sounds more like the onset of old age

Definitely a factor here since I am 48, though the other injuries all occured in my 20s except the ankle which was in my early 30s.

[BYU 14]

My advise to you: Just become a couch potato ;)

Good idea :)

[chesapeake]

I sprained an ankle once, as well, and I had to have surgery on my big toe after I got a nasty case of turf toe running the bases. I'd rather not remember the treatment I had to undergo after a batted ball deflected off my glove and into the family jewels.

[jbergey22]

I am sorry to hear about your torn Achilles. I have a friend that is going through that at the moment and I wouldnt wish that upon my worst enemy. He hurt it playing sand volleyball.

I do play a lot of softball as well and basically went through my 20s pretty healthy but now that I am into my 30s I am noticing a lot of strains and soreness that wasnt previously there. Strained a groin, Strained a lower back, etc. stuff like that.

[Thomkal]

It is now time to be a full-time Rift player. ;) So sorry that happened to you BYU hope the surgery and recovery goes well.

[BYU 14]

It is now time to be a full-time Rift player. ;) So sorry that happened to you BYU hope the surgery and recovery goes well.

LOL, look at you finding the silver lining?

[BYU 14]

I'd rather not remember the treatment I had to undergo after a batted ball deflected off my glove and into the family jewels.

Wouldn't that call for a massage? :)

I am sorry to hear about your torn Achilles. I have a friend that is going through that at the moment and I wouldnt wish that upon my worst enemy.

Thanks Bergey, I have heard the rehab is worse than the injury sometimes so I am not looking forward to that...

[JediKooter]

This sounds like a Greek tragedy that only Homer could scribe.

[molson]

Walk it off, sissy.

[BYU 14]

Walk it off, sissy.

My wife endorses this message Molson.

I called her on the way to the ER and she had no clue about the type of injury it is. Her first comment "Can't you just put ice on it and come home?"

[cartman]

Man, that sucks BYU. I can commiserate. I've had all sorts of injuries from other sports, but softball is the only one that has given me a long-term injury. Even though I was a pitcher playing baseball in high school, I blew out my arm about 10 years ago playing softball. I still can't throw anything very far without a lot of pain.

[Travis]

heh, I hear you man. I wrestled in junior high/high school, played ice hockey until I was 18 and competitive men's league ball hockey from then until I was 26. The first bone I broke was while trying to turn a double play in slo-pitch at the age of 29 and did I ever make up for lost time (compound fracture that also ripped/tore up most of my ankle as that's where the bone decided to exit).

I consider myself very lucky that that was my second major injury (only other was a shoulder injury from wrestling) but it still baffles me that it happened playing slo pitch, go figure..

[chesapeake]

Wouldn't that call for a massage? :)


I wish. It was a while ago, but mostly I just remember the ice. I was fortunate that it was just a bad bruise and not anything worse.

I should have insisted on 4-6 months of rehab with a handpicked PT afterwards. I wonder if my insurance would have paid for that?

[B & B]

Ive been involved in sports and athletics my whole life. Basketball and football growing up at school. Now that Im older, more running, tennis and golf.

Almost died whitewater rafting, been in numerous automobile accidents, been in jail. Pretty much not risk averse in the least.

Only once in my life have I ever broken a bone. Yes, I was playing softball. Head on collision with the outfielder while playing 3rd base shattered my wrist as I was making the catch. Was only 16 at the time and the P.E teacher knew it was broken. Everyone could hear the crack of the bones on impact, but I put the glove back on and finished the inning. After the last out, I got a ride to the doctors office. By the time I was there my hand was 3x the normal size due to swelling, so glad I didnt still have my glove on.

I dont play softball.

[thesloppy]

Man, this thread has put me off softball forever. Who knew?

[Ksyrup]

It's a catch-22 for me. I don't enjoy slowpitch, which is what anyone around here in their 30s-40s plays. We have a law league I played 1 year, which was OK. But I just don't like the pace of the game or how the slowpitch affects the way you hit, etc. It really is just a beer league, and I'd rather not participate.

But on the other hand, I probably could never get myself in shape or skill good enough to compete in a fastpitch league, if there was one around here.

Having thrown a ton with my daughter over the past 3 or so years, I bet I need rotator cuff surgery. I can't lift my arm over my head without it hurting.

[Travis]

Slopitch gets better if you can find the right type of league for you. Granted, the pitching/hitting will always be different than baseball or softball, but that doesn't mean there are only beer leagues out there. May not be something at the competition level you'd prefer in your immediate area, but you may be surprised. And if not, checking into some teams who play tournaments in your area may be an option as well.

I don't mind the occasional beer league type game, but I think I'd quit playing if that became the norm for the league/tournaments I play in.

[Dutch]

Sorry to hear that, BYU. I've been lucky, and I've been a pitcher for 7 or 8 seasons. I got a big-toe nail ripped off and a few welts from line drives, but thankfully nothing serious. *knock on wood*

[BYU 14]

Sorry to hear that, BYU. I've been lucky, and I've been a pitcher for 7 or 8 seasons. I got a big-toe nail ripped off and a few welts from line drives, but thankfully nothing serious. *knock on wood*

I would say Dutch, pitching with the speed the ball comes off some of these bats now is like playing Goal in hockey with no pads. I knocked on wood for you too. :)

[Dutch]

Our season just started up, so let's hope the knocks work again! Anything near the injury you sustained will surely retire me from any sort of active role and then I'll just be left with golf. :)

[terpkristin]

Cue tk coming in and haranguing you to quit your whining in 3...2...
Walk it off, sissy.
Thanks Bergey, I have heard the rehab is worse than the injury sometimes so I am not looking forward to that...

The first two made me laugh.

The third...well, let me give you my advice.
1) Find a person who specializes in foot and ankle surgery to do the surgery. If you were in my area, I'd have two names for you. Alas, you're not.

2) Ask the surgeon if there is any value in trying to do any therapy before the surgery. There probably isn't, but anything you can do in advance to help should be considered. The hardest part of all of my ligament and tendon surgeries has been the post-op weakness, after being in a cast for up to 12 weeks.

3) I've seen some ads for lawsuits on TV about them, but I think that they MUST have been applied too close to the skin or otherwise used incorrectly. On my second ankle surgery, my surgeon put one of these Polar Care Cube - BREG (http://www.breg.com/cold-therapy/polar-care-cube.html) into the post-op soft cast. He didn't put it right on my skin, but it was close enough that I could get relief from the cold water circulation. It STRONGLY reduced my dependence on the narcotics to relieve post-op pain and I recommend them.

4) The side effects of the narcotic pain medicine suck. I recommend oatmeal pancakes. And prunes.

5) Regarding therapy...having been through hand rehab, shoulder rehab, hip rehab, ankle rehab, knee rehab, and now back rehab, I can say that I like back rehab the least, followed closely by shoulder rehab. Ankle rehab, all in all, wasn't bad. And I say that even though I managed to RE-TEAR two tendons in rehab from the 2nd ankle surgery. But listen to the therapist. They usually know what they're doing, more so than the docs in terms of recovery exercises.

Finally, if you have any questions, though I've never torn my Achilles (knock on wood...gently), I have completely torn 2 tendons in my ankle and ended up having to have another re-routed to replace said tendons. I've also torn 4 ligaments in my ankle. So I know what you're going through.

/tk

p.s. when I tore the 4 lateral ankle ligaments, I screamed. A lot. Then when I realized my ankle wasn't broken, I jumped on it to try to see if it would hold so I could get back in the game. Wuss. ;) :D

[stevew]

I knew this cat who was hardcore about his softball, plus was smart enough not to have health insurance. After the 2nd time he did a multiple thousand dollar injury on his shoulder, I suggested that maybe he should not lay out in the hole to try to keep a grounder in the infield.

[stevew]

Dola.
This dude also hooked up with a MILF once who made hima Capri Sun and Vodka.

[B & B]

http://www.bearotic.com/img/2009/03/kenny-powers-eastbound-down-reel.jpg

[BYU 14]

Dola.
This dude also hooked up with a MILF once who made hima Capri Sun and Vodka.

WTF, I lost my Coffee when I read that......Did she bring him Orange slices to the game too?

[Schmidty]

Sorry to hear that man. Hopefully it heals faster than you expect.

[BYU 14]

Damn TK, I knew you had been through some surgeries/injuries, but OMG.

Thanks for the advice, I am really lucky in that my PCP is a sports medicine guy (Picked him on purpose since 90% of my doctor visits are injuries or yearly physicals). He takes care of the Mariners and Padres during spring training so he has some connections and hooked me up with the group that does a lot of surgeries for the Suns and Mercury, so one of their Foot and Ankle guys will be doing the surgery. I will definitely check out the Polar Bear cube as I hate taking pills too, I have managed to only need 2 percs since it happened and I'll admit I took one of them just to get a nice relaxed buzz last night, not so much cause the pain was too bad :)

I need both rotator cuffs done too and wanted to do it all at once, but my doc talked me out of that since shoulder surgery and crutches isn't too wise, LOL.

And FWIW, after it happened I still pulled myself to the base so I wouldn't get tagged out...so wuss right back at ya cause I put the team first :D ;)

And thank you Schmidty :)

[terpkristin]

I need both rotator cuffs done too and wanted to do it all at once, but my doc talked me out of that since shoulder surgery and crutches isn't too wise, LOL.

Yeah, crutches + shoulder surgery = bad. For what it's worth, crutches + a cracked rib are also bad (long story short, movie theaters are dangerous places when you're dopey on pain medicine and on crutches...).

Probably for the best, even if it wouldn't be damn near impossible to crutch around. Most insurance companies don't let you get seen on the same day in PT for more than 1 injury. When I was recovering from my first ankle surgery and had broken my hand, I ended up in therapy 5 days a week--3 for my ankle, 2 for my hand--because insurance wouldn't let me be treated for both on the same visit. :banghead:

/tk

[fantom1979]

I would say Dutch, pitching with the speed the ball comes off some of these bats now is like playing Goal in hockey with no pads. I knocked on wood for you too. :)

I see more and more pitchers in tournaments wearing helmets or full pads. These bats need to be curtailed, but I am sure that is not going to happen as long as Louisville, Miken, Demarini, and Easton are sponsoring these tournaments.

I remember when softball bats were actually made of metal and made a ding sound when you hit them. I would see a 1/2 dozen homeruns a year. Now they are all rocket launchers made out of composite. I see 1/2 dozen or more homeruns a game.

[Ksyrup]

My daughter played a tourney yesterday in shit conditions - upper 30s, cloudy, 20 MPH winds - and we wouldn't allow them to use their $300 composite bats for fear they'd crack. So my daughter used an older, shittier bat I'd bought her 2 years ago. And the first time she hit with it, she hit a FB to LF that the girl luckily misplayed into a single. When she came back to the dugout, I asked her how it felt, and she hated it. She was begging me to let her use her Miken MV3. She said the ball she hit would have sailed over the girl's head if she had hit it with her good bat.

[Dutch]

I see more and more pitchers in tournaments wearing helmets or full pads. These bats need to be curtailed, but I am sure that is not going to happen as long as Louisville, Miken, Demarini, and Easton are sponsoring these tournaments.

I remember when softball bats were actually made of metal and made a ding sound when you hit them. I would see a 1/2 dozen homeruns a year. Now they are all rocket launchers made out of composite. I see 1/2 dozen or more homeruns a game.

They have gone to some lengths to curtail the pop of the bats (most if not all triple-wall bats are illegal) and the core of the softball changes as well to reduce that pop.

But still, it's pretty dangerous, there are usually 4-8 hits per game where it's past the pitchers mound before I even blink. It's why I don't plan on just doing this forever and will definately jump on my golf game soon.

[fantom1979]

I retired a couple of years ago, so maybe it is a little better. I just know that I was glad that I was a outfielder. The guys playing P, 3B, and 1B were definitely in the danger zone.

[BYU 14]

I agree with Dutch in that they have curtailed the super high velocity bats a lot in the last few years. I play 3B and it was getting to the point that with some of these bats it was just sheer reaction/self defense on some line drives at you, which makes it tougher on us older guys that have slowed a step, LOL. I haven't decided if I will play again after thinking about it now for a couple of days...We'll see how I heal.

I actually played a season in a wooden bat only league a few years back, I liked it because you could read the velocity by the sound or the bat like Baseball and to stroke one deep you actually had to hit it complete square. Wasn't very popular overall though and I think they had onr moew season then quit offering it.

[BYU 14]

Had my surgery today and everything went well. After going all day with no food or water Jello has never tasted so good LOL

[terpkristin]

Funny. I usually crave chicken nuggets when I wake up from surgery. Glad it went well, good luck!

[BYU 14]

Funny. I usually crave chicken nuggets when I wake up from surgery. Glad it went well, good luck!

Thanks TK, I was actually craving a Steak but my pleas fell on deaf ears :)

[JediKooter]

You're lucky to get out of there with those draconian conditions at that 'hospital'.