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Beltran OK, Doc Says

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jun 30 2009 12:00 PM

Source: Steadman finds bruise, recommends rest thru ASG June 30, 2009 Carlos Beltran’s trip to Vail, Colo., provided a reassuring diagnosis, a source familiar with the examination told the Daily News. Dr. Richard Steadman, who examined Beltran (pictured right) on Monday, agreed with the team medical staff’s assessment that the center fielder is suffering from a bone bruise. Steadman is expected to recommend Beltran remain inactive slightly longer than Mets doctor David Altchek initially suggested — until after the All-Star break. The doctors had yet to speak as of Tuesday morning, according to a source. The Steadman Hawkins Clinic is where Alex Rodriguez had hip surgery. The group also has pioneered microfracture surgery on knees. But assistant GM John Ricco explicitly said Monday that Beltran’s choice for that location for a second opinion did not automatically mean he was a candidate for that surgical procedure. “With a player of this importance to us, we have no argument on our end to get another look,” Ricco said. “… He asked to have a second opinion, which is his right under the rules. As I said, with him, there’s no reason for us to not be in favor of that. We’ll get another opinion of it. Our doctors are fully on board with that.” Altchek, who is affiliated with the Hospital for Special Surgery, frequently is the one giving second opinions. Arizona ace Brandon Webb is due to visit Altchek to review the Diamondback team doctor’s findings about his shoulder.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 30 2009 12:06 PM

Who are you going to believe, a doctor or the back page of the New York Post?

Centerfield Jun 30 2009 12:08 PM

That is certainly a relief. Of course, I hope this doesn't mean that Dr. Steadman recommends surgery in September after the bone bruise fails to heal. "Micro-fracture surgery" just sounds scary.

Frayed Knot Jun 30 2009 12:12 PM

="Centerfield":h8sg1hb5]"Micro-fracture surgery" just sounds scary.[/quote:h8sg1hb5] It is as it's basically a last-ditch effort to preserve an athletic career. You or I (or, more likely, our parents) would undergo joint-replacement instead once the cartilage becomes that shot. metirish Jun 30 2009 12:15 PM Good news , rest up Carlos. Fman99 Jun 30 2009 12:22 PM ="Benjamin Grimm"]Who are you going to believe, a doctor or the back page of the New York Post? One is far easier than the other to read while on the toilet you know. Centerfield Jul 01 2009 08:47 AM Couple interesting tidbits from Adam's article in the News today: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... econd.html "The diagnosis pretty much concurred with what we heard from our guys, which was a bruise in the knee," assistant GM John Ricco said. "The recommendation is that he rest that knee until he's pain-free. And then he can proceed from there. He's going to have a few days of inactivity and then be reevaluated by our guys. ... I will say it's probably looking like, with the All-Star break, we had hoped maybe he'd be back before that. Right now, it looks like we're headed for after." This much is encouraging, but I wish one of the doctors would address the cartilage issue. If Beltran's knee has worn down, rest may heal the bruise, but what is to prevent it from flaring up again immediately? It's not like the cartilage will grow back in a few weeks. And if there is sufficient cartilage, how did he get the bone bruise? Some answers would be nice. Mets players expressed satisfaction with the team's doctors to the Daily News. One player instead suggested it's how that information is used by the organization that is the issue. The player cited the case of J.J. Putz, saying Altchek recommended to Putz in mid-May for the reliever to have immediate surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Instead, team officials advocated a cortisone shot. Putz rejoined the team in San Francisco and subsequently had a 7.71 ERA in 10 appearances before ultimately needing the procedure anyway. If this is true, all the things we've been hearing about the Mets being incompetent rings true. I don't even know what to say about this. How do you ignore your doctors? And in the end, that decision ended up costing the Mets both time and games. Beltran had a cortisone shot on May 26 when knee discomfort flared up, but he believes that merely blunted the pain and allowed it to get worse. When Beltran had a second MRI weeks later, he said, doctors noted the bone bruise had doubled in size. It's hard to argue with that. The same could be said for Delgado's injury. The Mets staff can't be blamed for this rash of injuries, but if these allegations are true, they certainly can be blamed for making things worse. Frayed Knot Jul 01 2009 09:26 AM The only thing I'll say in their defense is that it's rarely a cut-and-dried case where one option is a no-brainer over the other. Any cortisone or similar shot is an attempt to mask pain (so is aspirin for that matter) hopefully until the problem gets better (inflammation subsides, etc.). That the initial problem can become exacerbated by continued use is always a possibility and the trick is to know ahead of time whether the shot and short-rest method is overly aggressive or if the extended rest and/or surgery at the first sign of trouble is overly cautious. Based on the limited info above (and my internet degree in medicine) sounds like maybe they should have acted quicker with Putz but I'm not so sure about Carlos^2. The 'sit because he's not 100%' tactic is exactly the sort of thing fans and media complain about when stars do miss games despite being able to play (iow, damned if they do - damned if they don't) and certainly the Delgado surgery is something don't do unless absolutely forced into it. duan Jul 01 2009 09:54 AM funnily enough, I've also got lots of sympathy for trying to navigate the right path, while trying to keep someone on the field if at all possible.