Sliding--to be or not to be

Injuries due to sliding are going to occur. But in my opinion, the injuries that occur sliding feet first are usually contained to the feet or ankle (certainly debilitating, but a large degree of a sucessful recovery). Injuries from head first sliding are to the head, shoulders, neck and hands. A much more catastrophic injury with a far greater affect.

That's why most coaches do not like head first sliding

 

Put neckrolls on em, then they're good to go.

 

Head first according to our doctor

My daughter can slide head first, feet first, hook slide. She slide face first equal or more than the number of times she goes feet first.

She has never injured a hand, and arm, fingers, the head. Sure some road rash, but no different than the road rash on her butt or legs.

Last Sept. she was headed to home, going for the beat out on the throw. The catcher had the plate well, well blocked (good job), so the only way to get in there was to try and go through her. She succeeded...but

ended up with a sprain in her ankle and a 2nd degree tear of the LCL. She was on crutches for 6 weeks, along with dual air casts and braces on the ankle and knee.

She was finally healed, and back on the ballfield. Played in 9 tournaments at the end of the season, has been participating in speed and agility training weekly, batting lessons, etc. All has been great.

Then on Sunday she was stretching out to take a run, and her knee went out from under her and she felt a twanging sensation.

The last 3 days have been spent in the ER, 2 doctor's offices and getting new MRI's. We will be getting results of the MRI today at 3:30. Opinions have ranged from a missed ACL or MCL tear last Sept, to elongated LCL and or LCL/MCL, or maybe just tendonitis.

The only thing ALL the doctors agree on is this: This is part of the original injury in Sept when she went in feet first.

Our ortho told us then the risk of catastrophic injury is far less going in head first than feet first. She has taken his advice to heart.

 

I'm Sorry But Still Disagree !!

If you DD goes in head first and snaps her neck is far worse than sprained ankle or torn ACL...I much rather repair a torn ACL than to be paralyzed from the neck down. I would love to talk to your Othro doctor about what he or she told you. I would love to here that from his or her own mouth about it was safer to slide head first than feet first..PM me with his or her number.. Thanks, Guru

 

Hey, nice to meet you too

I questioned this at first, myself. But then looking back on HOW my dtr slides head first, it made sense. She was trained to anticipate where the tag would go down, and to put ONLY the hand at risk, keep her body from elbow up out of the impact range.

And the ONLY question that occurred to me in Guru's thread is this: If my prior ortho missed an MCL/ACL tear last Sept, which is why we now have a NEW ortho... perhaps the question, from you, rather than asking for my daughter's ortho info which is, frankly, not something we should be asked to publish or will, should have been this:

Do you think maybe you should ask your new ortho if this is the best method of sliding?

And because of this thread, and what thoughts it brought up, I will be doing that today.

Thanks for indirectly providing an important point I should address today.

 

DUCK!!!

INCOMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hey

You are a goober !!!---LOL-- Guru

 

Wow...that contradicts everything I have ever heard from most orthopedic drs....as well as Alan Tyson, the premiere physical therapist in this state.

 

Shorts and sliding are ok

My dd and her friends of several years have always worn shorts and love to slide! Of course they always wear sliding shorts and leg pads. I think the younger they are when taught to slide makes a difference. Then they're not scared. When you're older, the dirt is much further away!

 

If a girl is taught how to slide correctly then its going to reduce the chances of her getting hurt. To slide head first make a fist to slide into the base. All the girls wear helmets with face masks. There is always going to be the risk of getting hurt no matter which way you slide.