title: Softball Petechiae: A Novel Cutaneous Finding in a Patient Participating in Post-Exercise Massage.
abstract: We report a case of a 39-year-old healthy male presenting with an eruption consisting of evenly spaced, well-circumscribed, round, petechial macules over a discrete region on his back. A detailed history revealed that the man participated in a high-intensity combination workout routine and post-exercise massage. He reported using a regulation-sized dimpled softball in order to massage the musculature of his back. A diagnosis of traumatic petechiae was established. A growing fitness culture encouraging high-intensity training and post-exercise massage coupled with the high costs of professional masseuse services has led to the increased use of self-massage techniques using both traditional and non-traditional massage equipment. The topography of this equipment and the rise in post-exercise self-massage may lead to an increase in traumatic rashes of varying clinical and cosmetic significance.
authors.affiliation: University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Talayesa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buntinx-Krieg
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, University of Central Florida College of Medicine ; The Dermatology Group, P.A.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Greenwald
keywords: petechial eruption; petechial rash; post-exercise massage; softball; softball massage; softball petechiae; sports rash; sports trauma; traumatic petechiae; traumatic purpura