Injuries

[MFS62]

Ever wonder what the sports injury reports really mean?

Ron Shandler (Baseball Forecaster) came up with some descriptions you can use as we head into the aches and pains of Spring Training. I couldn't find a link to the original. This was on a membership required site.. http://www.dickiethon.com/forum2008/viewtopic.php?t=53027http://www.dickiethon.com/forum2008/viewtopic.php?t=53027

If your mother ever wanted you to be a doctor, this will get you well on your way.



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Injury primer (James C. Ferretti, DO)



Every player's injury and recovery process is unique. Still, you can

gain a sizable advantage with a better understanding of injuries

and the corresponding medical terms. An overview of the human

musculoskeletal system:

• Bones: The rigid support framework which is also a

foundation for the other moving parts.

• Cartilage: Soft tissue that acts as a cushion and prevents

wear—usually in areas where bones are close to each

other.

• Muscles: Bundles of fibers that bend and stretch to

perform work.

• Tendons: Bundles of (less bendy/stretchy) fibers that

attach muscles to bones.

• Ligaments: Bundles of (even less bendy/stretchy) fibers

that attach bones to other bones.



Some common ailments:

A fracture is simply a break in a bone, which means it isn't

able to act as a stabilizer or absorb/distribute forces. Time to heal

and/or long-term effects? Usually 4-6 weeks, sometimes longer,

though once the new bone has matured, it's as good as new.



Strains/sprains are tears of the fibers of muscles/tendons

(strains) and ligaments (sprains). Most doctors categorize them

on a Grade 1, 2, 3, scale, from less severe to most.

Time to heal and/or long-term effects? A rough estimate is 2-4

weeks for a Grade 1, 4-8 weeks for a Grade 2, and at least 8 weeks

for a Grade 3. There can be long-term effects, notably that the

repaired areas contain fibrous (“scar”) tissue, which is neither as

strong nor as flexible as the original tissue and is more prone to

re-injury.



Inflammation is an irritation of soft tissues, often from overuse

or repetitive motion and the structures affected get “angry.” Even

if they occur for different reasons, inflammation and a Grade 1

strain can behave similarly—and both can keep a player out for

weeks. Long-term effects? Injury/pain can recur, or even worsen

without adequate time to heal. (So, maybe your player coming

back early isn't such good news after all.)



Some widely-used injury terms:

“No structural damage” sounds reassuring, but it's often

misleading. When medical imagers unaffiliated with MLB clubs

make an injury diagnosis, they might term it a fracture, dislocation, soft tissue tear, or inflammation; all of which are bad

news. Or they may call it “normal,” or “negative,” which is good

news. But rarely would they describe an injury as “no structural

damage,” because it's not an actual diagnosis. Rather, it's a way of

saying that whatever body part being imaged is intact, with no broken bone or soft tissue tear. This is not the same as a “normal”

or “negative” diagnosis. When you hear “no structural damage,”

continue to keep a close eye on the situation.



Similarly, “day-to-day” sounds reassuring—but really doesn't

tell you anything other than “We aren't sure,” which can be far

more worrisome.



“X-Rays are negative”: Imaging a player is usually prompted

by sudden or increasing onset of pain. Most baseball injuries, though, are to soft tissue, which is never diagnosed with an X-ray

alone. Unless there's suspicion of a broken bone or joint injury, an

X-ray probably isn't going to tell you much. We often see writers

and analysts use a “negative” X-ray report to justify that the injury

is “not believed to be serious.” Don't make that mistake—await the

results of more definitive imaging/tests, like a CAT scan or MRI.

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Ready for your first exam?

Later