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/vie ... hp?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