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DURHAM, N.C. – As the Cincinnati Reds march toward a possible World Series berth, work by the Duke Sports Performance Program during the past year could help players suffer fewer injuries during their grueling 162-game schedule.
Duke exercise physiologist Mike Huff led a group of researchers from Duke Sports Medicine who tested and monitored more than 150 players on the Reds roster and their minor league teams during two-day exams during spring training before last season and the current season. In their analysis of the 2001 campaign, the researchers found that almost 40 percent of the injuries reported by players could have been prevented or at least minimized, with the bulk of the injuries involving muscle or ligament strains, as well as joint sprains.
"There are some injuries that can't be avoided, but others, like pulled hamstrings or torn rotator cuffs, may be avoided or minimized by proper training techniques," Huff said. "After evaluating each individual player, we work with the team to design tailored exercise programs for the players to follow during the season and the off-season."
While an important aspect of the Duke program is injury prevention, another equally important aspect, especially for the Reds, is maximizing each player's athletic potential. The Reds, like all other professional sports teams, invest a great deal of resources in the development of their players.
"Our No. 1 focus is keeping our players healthy, and that's why we have the special two-day physical examinations during spring training," said Jim Thrift, director of research and development for the Reds. "It's a real challenge, considering that we play 162 games in 180 days all over the country in widely varying conditions.
"Now more than ever, given how much we invest in players and their development, it is important that they maintain a certain level of fitness throughout the entire year," he added. "Mike and his staff, along with our own team trainers and physicians, are helping us do that."
During spring training, Huff worked with the players during a two-day period. Specifically, the Duke researchers focused their attention on the range of rotation of the trunk, an approach to sports medicine that is unique to the Duke program, Huff said. They also focused on such factors as height and weight, to see if these factors had any effect on the rate of injury.
"Trunk rotation is probably more important in baseball than any other sport," Huff explained. "It is involved in all aspects of play – from batting to throwing to fielding. The trunk transfers the power and energy from the legs to the arms. It is a very dynamic process in baseball."
So far, the testing has shown that a "normal" range of motion for the trunk ranges from 60 to 80 degrees, so they paid extra attention to those players whose range of motion fell outside that range. For those falling beneath the range, Huff prescribed exercises that would increase a player's flexibility, while those above the range would typically be given a series of exercises designed to increase stability and strength.
While the researchers assumed that injuries would tend to occur more frequently in those with less flexibility, the opposite occurred.
"We found that the guys who tended to be hypermobile were injured more frequently than we expected," he explained. "The reason is probably a stability issue, so the key to our approach is designing a regimen with the right balance of stability, strength and flexibility for that individual player."
During the 2001 season, the Reds sent monthly injury reports to the Michael Krzyzewski Human Performance Research Laboratory (the K Lab), which Huff entered into a database. They will do so again this year.
"This way, we can keep up with players and if we see that someone is having a specific problem, like shoulder, elbow or lower pains, we can work with the team to design an intervention based on what we know about the player," Huff said.
Other findings from the 2001 report include:
- Of the strain and sprain injuries, the shoulder accounted for 24 percent of injuries, followed by the back (13.5 percent), the ankle (10.4 percent) and the knee (10.4 percent).
- By position, 34.7 percent of injuries occurred to infielders, with pitchers accounting for 33.3 percent, outfielders 21.8 percent and catchers 7.5 percent.
- In terms of activity that caused the injury, pitching/throwing accounted for 31.3 percent, batting and running each accounted for 17.7 percent, fielding 15.7 percent and sliding 7.5 percent.
Interestingly, according to Huff, there were significantly fewer injuries (52) during the second half of the season when compared to the first (95). This change was primarily due to the type of player and activity – pitchers were injured most often in the beginning of the season, while infielders were injured the most in the second. In terms of activities, pitching/throwing injuries predominated early in the season, while running injuries occurred more often later.
"While we hope that the reduction of injuries during the second half of the season were a result of our tailored exercise programs, there are probably other factors involved as well," Huff said.
One factor could be weather, since the Reds spring training occurs in Florida, where it is warm, and the weather for the early slate of games – especially those played at night – is much cooler. Also, the increased number of injuries in the early part of the season argues for a more rigorous off-season training program, according to Huff.
"On average, it takes four and half years to bring a player from the minor leagues to the major leagues," Thrift said. "If, through proper training, we can get them here in three and half years, we all benefit – the player achieves his potential sooner, and we can field the best team possible.