The infamous oblique strain is indeed a tricky problem to overcome. And as with all muscle strains it can come in a variety of flavors.
The obliques (internal and external) are found lateral to the 6 pack we see when we look in the mirror (and then we wake up). They run in a (surprise, surprise) oblique fashion. In a very fit individual you will see what look like serrations running diagonally from out to in and up to down. Those are the external obliques. The internal obliques lie just underneath the externals and go in the opposite direction forming an X if you could see then. The obliques pair up together and join forces to perform crunches and sit ups.
Individually the obliques are responsible for trunk rotation. Thus if you want to do an oblique ab crunch you will rotate as you lift. Diagonal crunches. With regard to hitting a baseball (or throwing one for that matter) the obliques are essential. I think we all have heard of an athlete using his core, or swinging with his body. In the end straining an oblique will cause the athlete to suffer diminished performance until the injury is healed. The amount of time this takes is of course always an individual thing. But it will heal.
The term strain is used in reference to an injured muscle. Slight or
mild may only allude to the fact that the injury is
rather diminutive. Slight is a term oft uttered by doctors, trainers, and physical therapists. You cannot be slightly
pregnant.... but you can have a slight muscle strain.
Terms, such as slight or severe, extend their relevance to healing. What is the time
frame required for healing of an injury? Any among us who has played
sports will surely be able to attest that some things heal more
quickly than others. In the end there are more than a few factors
that go into the decision to return an athlete to the field of
competition following a strain (muscle) or sprain (ligament). The
most universal of these factors is severity of the injury to the
tissue. One should also take into consideration the importance of a
muscle in the function of an athlete.
I have it on good authority that Manny's current oblique
strain is of the moderate variety and is healing
well. We can look forward to his antics beneath the Monster in the
near future.
Always remember that an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Chris Morin, PT - 9/10/07