高校野球投手に対するメディカルチェック―腰痛と全身タイトネス・関節弛緩性との関係

Medical Checkups for High-school Baseball Pitchers : The Relationship Between Low Back Pain and Tightness and Joint Laxity

　高校野球投手の腰痛について述べた報告は少ない．本研究の目的は高校野球投手の腰痛の実態を調査し，背景となる因子との関係を検討することである．2009年(平成21年)2月にメディカルチェックを施行した高校野球投手134名を対象とし，腰痛，肩関節，肘関節痛の有無，野球歴，ピッチャー歴，検診時の投球パフォーマンス，理学所見から全身のタイトネス，関節弛緩の有無を評価した．高校野球投手134名のうち17.2％に腰痛を認めた．腰痛がある群はピッチャー歴が長く，検診時の投球パフォーマンスが低く，体幹伸展が少なく，母指の関節弛緩を認める例が少なかった．

　There have been few reports on the low back pain of high-school baseball pitchers.　We conducted a study on low back pain in 134 high-school baseball pitchers in February 2009 and assessed their background factors.　We asked them whether they experienced low back pain, shoulder pain, and elbow pain.　We also assessed their experience as a baseball player and pitcher, their pitching performance, and whether they had joint laxity.　The results, revealed that 17.2% of the 134 high-school baseball pitchers had low back pain.　The pitchers with low back pain had greater experience as a baseball player than the pitchers without low back pain.　Their pitching performance was poorer, and they had a tighter body.　In addition, a higher proportion of the pitchers with low back pain had joint laxity of the thumb.