Korean J Sports Med.  2023 Dec;41(4):246-249. 10.5763/kjsm.2023.41.4.246.

Nonsimultaneous Bilateral Internal Oblique Muscle Rupture in a Professional Baseball Batter: A Case Report

• Shin HS
• Cho HL
• Jin HK
• Jang WK

• KMID: 2548999
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5763/kjsm.2023.41.4.246

Abstract

Abdominal oblique muscle injuries are relatively common in professional baseball players and can result in substantial loss of playing time. It is usually caused by a sudden movement of the torso in sports involving repetitive activity requiring trunk rotation and it tend to occur on the contralateral side of the dominant arm. We report a unique case of sequentially occurred bilateral abdominal internal oblique muscle rupture in a right-handed professional baseball batter over two seasons. Each internal oblique rupture had a different mechanism of the injury, the non-dominant side occurred during bat swing and the dominant side during bent leg sliding. After rest and rehabilitation, each injury was recovered to play in about 1 month.

Keyword

Oblique strain syndrome; Abdominal oblique muscles; Rupture; Baseball player

Figure

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  Fig. 1 After the first swing injury, coronal (A) and axial (B) T2-weighted magnetic resonance images demonstrate a complete tear (arrows) of the left internal oblique muscle with high signal intensity hematoma and low signal intensity floating muscle fiber. The boundaries between the oblique muscles are relatively clear due to the intervening high signal fluid track. Coronal (C) and axial (D) T2-weighted images obtained 2 weeks after injury show that high signal intensity tear zone and surrounding edema were markedly reduced (arrows).

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  Fig. 2 After the second sliding injury, coronal (A) and axial (B) T2-weighted magnetic resonance images demonstrate a complete tear (arrows) of the right internal oblique muscle more proximal than the first left side injury. Internal oblique muscle was stripped from the twelfth rib and its costal cartilage and high signal intensity fluid propagated to the anterolateral abdomen. Coronal (C) and axial (D) T2-weighted images obtained 2 weeks after the second injury revealed reduced fluid collection and progression of the healing at the torn area (arrows).

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