80% Return to Baseball After Meniscectomy: New Study

Professional baseball players are likely to return to sport after a meniscectomy, according to a new study.

The study, “Performance and Return to Sports After Meniscectomy in Professional Baseball Players,” was published online on February 11, 2022, in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers said that while meniscal injuries are common in athletes of many sports, little research has been conducted on how professional baseball players respond to partial meniscectomy.

For the study, they determined the performance and return-to-sports rate in professional baseball players after arthroscopic partial knee meniscectomy and compared the results of partial medial meniscectomy with those of partial lateral meniscectomy. There was no difference in return-to-sports rate or times of the return to sport between players who underwent partial medial meniscectomy versus partial lateral meniscectomy.

The researchers hypothesized that there would be a high return-to-sports rate in professional baseball players after partial meniscectomy with no difference in the return-to-sports rate or timing between the players who had partial medical meniscectomy and those who had partial lateral meniscectomy.

Using the Major League Baseball Health and Injury Tracking System database, they collected data on all professional baseball players who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy between 2010 and 2017.

Overall, there were 168 players and 168 knees included in the study. The mean age was 25 years. Forty-six percent of the players had medial meniscectomy and 45% had lateral meniscectomy. Nine percent had both medial and lateral meniscectomy.

The most common injury mechanism was fielding in the infield on natural grass. Injuries occurred across all positions; 18% catchers, 24% infielders, 20% outfielders and 38% pitchers.

The overall return-to-sports rate was 80% with 76% returning at the same or higher level. Pitchers saw a decrease in usage but improvements in performance using the advanced statistics of fielding independent pitching (p < .001) and wins above replacement (p = .011).

Hitters saw a decrease in usage but increases in efficiency as seen by improvements in wins above replacement (p = .003). Seventy-nine of the athletes returned during the same season at a median time to return to play of 42 days.

“Player efficiency improved after surgery in pitchers and position players. No difference in the return-to-sports rate or timing of return to sports existed between players who underwent partial medial meniscectomy versus partial lateral meniscectomy,” the researchers wrote.

The study authors include Brandon J. Erickson, M.D., and Michael G. Ciccotti, M.D., of Rothman Orthopaedics in New York as well as John D’Angelo, Kevin Ma and Dana Rowe of the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office. Peter N. Chalmers of the University of Utah and Jeffrey R. Dugas, M.D. of the Andrews Sport Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Alabama also contributed to the research.