Rib Stress Fracture in a Collegiate Softball Pitcher: A Case Report

We present the case of a twenty-one-year-old right-hand-throwing, right-hand-batting female softball pitcher who presented with a three-month history of right rib pain. A bone scan showed increased uptake in the lateral aspect of the right seventh rib, consistent with a stress fracture. The patient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJBJS case connector Vol. 6; no. 1; p. e16
Main Authors Pfefferle, Kiel J, Boyd, Jason A, Acus, 3rd, Raymond W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.2016
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Summary:We present the case of a twenty-one-year-old right-hand-throwing, right-hand-batting female softball pitcher who presented with a three-month history of right rib pain. A bone scan showed increased uptake in the lateral aspect of the right seventh rib, consistent with a stress fracture. The patient was managed nonoperatively and made a full recovery. The forces created by the attachment of the serratus anterior during underhand throwing are the likely etiology of the injury in our patient. Physicians should maintain a high clinical index of suspicion for stress fracture in underhand athletes with lateral rib pain.
ISSN:2160-3251
DOI:10.2106/JBJS.CC.O.00086