Oblique Strains: The Silent Season-Killer for Baseball Players

What is one of the most common baseball injuries that keep players off the field (besides the obvious elbow and shoulder injuries)? It’s a tie between the oblique and the low back.

Chances are, by the time an athlete reaches his senior year of high school, he has missed at least a few practices due to low back pain or an oblique strain. These aren't just "freak accidents"—we are seeing a recent, significant rise in oblique strains among baseball players at every level.

Why is this happening?

Whether you are a pitcher or a hitter, you require an enormous amount of rotational power to hit bombs or throw heat. That power is useless—and dangerous—without the core stability to withstand those forces.

Think about your daily practices: how many swings do you take? 100? 200? That is a massive volume of power-producing movements. But how much time do you spend on true core stability to stabilize that power?

This week, I am walking you through the top 3 physical limitations that lead to baseball oblique strains and exactly how you can prevent them.

The Top 3 Red Flags for Oblique and Low Back Injuries

1. Limited Lead Hip Internal Rotation

What happens when you push the limits to hit your max exit velocity, but your front hip won’t allow you to fully rotate?

Your body doesn't just stop; it finds that rotation somewhere else. Usually, you start to rotate excessively through your obliques and lower back. Over 200 swings a day, that "compensation" causes the tissue to break down. When we ask the obliques to stretch and stabilize beyond their limit to make up for a stiff hip, an oblique strain is inevitable.

How to fix it: I love using a “superband” for a Self-Lateral Hip Mobilization. This provides a joint mobilization that helps the hip move more freely.

• Pro Tip: Use a stick for balance—this is a mobility drill, not a balance test. Keep your belly button and shoulders facing forward to ensure the movement is coming from the hip joint. 

2. Lack of Rotational Core Stability (Anti-Rotation)

In baseball, we produce a lot of force to increase bat speed. While we never want to put the "brakes" on the ball, we must be able to stop our own bodies from rotating once the swing is done.

Think of it like a Ferrari: it can only go as fast as its brakes allow it to stop safely. If your "brakes" (core stability) are weak, your body will sacrifice a body part—usually your obliques—to slow you down. I use the Rotary Stability Test with my players to see if they can truly control their rotation.

How to fix it: The Half-Kneeling Lift is a powerhouse exercise for anti-rotation.

• The Key: Before you start the lift, bring your belt buckle up toward your ribs to engage your core. Most importantly, cycle a full breath at the top of the lift. That breath helps you "own" the stability.

3. Limited Thoracic Rotation

You’ve heard coaches and pro players talk about hip-shoulder separation to improve bat speed. But did you know a lack of separation is a massive risk factor for oblique strains?

To get great separation, you must be able to rotate from your upper back (the thorax). If your thorax is tight, your body will try to get that extra rotation from the lower back and obliques. This increases stress on the lumbar spine and forces the obliques to stabilize more than they were ever designed to handle.

How to fix it: We can improve this with a targeted 90/90 Oblique Stretch.

• The Key: Lock your thorax out by walking your hands to the side as much as possible. If you can't get both elbows to the ground, don't force it—just breathe in that position until the tissue loosens up.

Get Expert Help from a Baseball Physical Therapist

If you are struggling with a nagging oblique strain or low back discomfort, get it fixed before it becomes a season-long issue. Don't let a "tweak" turn into a 6-week stint on the injured list.

At Integrated Performance, we offer elite baseball physical therapy for serious athletes. We help hitters and pitchers in Westfield, Carmel, Fishers, and Zionsville identify the root cause of their pain and get them back on the diamond fast!

Ready to bulletproof your obliques and lower back?

Call us today at 812-686-9550 or Schedule an Evaluation to build your custom performance plan!